The lawsuit relies on the Readmissions Act of 1870, which prohibited former Confederate states from including in their constitutions any provision that would disenfranchise their citizens other than people convicted of committing crimes that were common law felonies at the time. The ACLU of Virginia and Protect Democracy - a nonprofit that focuses on voting rights - filed the lawsuit on behalf of three Virginia residents with felony convictions and Bridging the Gap in Virginia, a nonprofit organization that helps former inmates overcome barriers to their transition back into society. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Richmond by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, alleges the state is violating a Reconstruction-era federal law that established the terms of Virginia’s readmission to representation in Congress after the Civil War. Virginia is one of only a few states that automatically take away voting rights for convicted felons unless the governor restores those rights. Glenn Youngkin and state elections officials challenging the state’s automatic disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions. People who have been disqualified from voting in Virginia because of their criminal records filed a lawsuit Monday against Gov.
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