Vishal Agraharkar of the ACLU of Virginia joins the show to discuss a new lawsuit aimed at restoring voting rights to Virginians convicted of felonies. As a requirement for re-entry into the Union after the Civil War, Virginia was required to pass th Readmission Act of 1870. In an effort to prevent former Confederate states from disenfranchsing Black people, the Readmission Act prohibits Virginia from depriving citizens of the right to vote, except as punishment for crimes that are "now felonies at common law."

Common-law felonies at the time included crimes like murder, but didn't include felonies introduced after 1870, including many drug-related crimes. But Virginia still strips the right to vote from all people convicted of felonies. Agraharkar walks us through the ACLU's lawsuit, which seeks to overturn that precedent, restore voting rights to Virginians convicted of non-common-law felonies, and protect that right to vote going forward.

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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia