Virginia governor restores voting rights to 200K felons

RICHMOND, Va. -- More than 200,000 convicted felons will be eligible to vote and run for public office in Virginia under a sweeping executive order announced Friday by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

McAuliffe said his actions would help undo Virginia's long history of trying to suppress the black vote.

He said he was certain he had the legal authority for the massive extension of voting rights, adding he'd consulted with legal and constitutional experts, including Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring.

The governor's action means every Virginia felon who has completed his or her sentence and finished any supervised release, parole or probation requirements as of April 22 will be able to vote, run for public office, serve on a jury and become a notary public. The administration estimates about 206,000 people will be impacted.

McAuliffe has made the restoration of rights of former convicts a priority.

Before Friday's order, the administration had restored the rights of more than 18,000 felons, which officials said is more than the past seven governors combined.

The Washington, D.C.-based Sentencing Project estimates nearly 6 million Americans are barred from voting because of laws affecting former felons. Such policies disproportionately impact blacks, the group said.