Governor Abigail Spanberger visited Norfolk today to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and the 60th anniversary of Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, a landmark 1966 Supreme Court decision that declared poll taxes unconstitutional. During the event at the Academy of International Studies at Rosemont, Governor Spanberger signed a series of bills aimed at strengthening voting rights, enhancing voter protections, and improving election security across the Commonwealth.
The celebration brought together U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott, state leaders, and author Charlene Butts Ligon, daughter of Evelyn Thomas Butts, the Norfolk civil rights leader instrumental in overturning Virginia’s poll tax. Governor Spanberger emphasized the importance of broad participation, stating, "Our democracy is strongest when every eligible citizen can participate — and I’m proud that the bills I signed today reflect that." Congressman Scott praised Virginia's proactive stance, noting, "Unlike what’s going on in Washington, we have a government in Virginia that is taking action to protect voting rights, not threaten to roll back our freedoms."
The newly signed legislation includes measures to strengthen legal standards against voter suppression (HB967), ensure ballot access for hospitalized or ill Virginians (HB1244), and initiate automatic voter registration through the DMV (HB319, SB658). Other bills focus on improving the accuracy of voter rolls (HB972), extending the cure process for absentee and provisional ballots (HB773, HB774), and codifying Virginia's membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (HB215).
Crucially, bills HB964 and SB162 lay the groundwork for a constitutional amendment that Virginians will vote on this November, which would automatically restore voting rights to returning citizens upon their release from incarceration. This builds on the Spanberger administration's efforts, which have already restored voting rights to over 66,000 formerly incarcerated Virginians since January, addressing Virginia's unique constitutional provision that permanently disenfranchises citizens with past felony convictions.