Getting ex-offenders to vote
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By Lindsey Henley
WSLS10 Reporter
Published: July 22, 2008
A group in our area is working to restore voting rights to non-violent felon offenders before the November election.
Virginia Cares and Tony Reed called a news conference today to encourage ex-offenders to vote.
Reed is the director Roanoke’s Dorcas house, a community residential program for ex-offenders.
Normally the restoration process takes up to six months, but governor Tim Kaine has promised to speed up the process if the paperwork is turned in by August first.
Sherman Lee, who is the regional director for the department of corrections, says, for ex-offenders, getting their rights back is a step in the right direction.
“We’ve talked to them about reestablishing themselves in the community, being upright, a responsible citizen, and this is a big part of that process. It’s important for a number of different reasons,” Lee said.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU), there are about 300 thousand ex-offenders in Virginia who haven’t registered to vote.
You can go to http://www.commonewelath.virginia.gov/forms or call (804) 786-2441 for the paperwork.
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