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Governor Releases Data on Felons Who Can Vote

Mallory Noe-Payne/WVTF

Virginia’s Governor has received plenty of backlash for restoring voting rights to felons.  Fighting back, Terry McAuliffe is releasing data, revealing more about who the affected felons are. 

According to an analysis sent out by the Governor’s office, 20-percent of the felons affected by his order were convicted of violent crimes.

They’re individuals who have served their time and been released. Now they have the right to vote and serve on juries.

Almost half the group is black. That’s a large number given the fact that that only 20-percent of the state’s population is black. But the group of felons is even more disproportionately male -- at almost 80-percent.

The data isn’t based on the full list of affected felons, that’s because the state’s databases haven’t been updated since 2005.

Republican state leadership still plans on challenging the Governor’s action in court.

In a statement Virginia’s Speaker of the House, William Howell, says "the delayed, incomplete, and unverified data released by Governor McAuliffe in no way excuses his reckless decision to restore the civil rights of violent offenders and flagrant violation of the Constitution.”

The Governor has not been able to provide a specific list of felons’ crimes.

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