To the Editor:
At a recent voter registration drive at a local Walmart, we had to distribute a couple of “restoration of rights” forms. Restoring the right to vote should not be a challenging issue, but we encouraged those receiving the forms to fill in their violation dates, have it notarized, and mail it to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, then wait.
The basic right to participate in our American political process had been denied to so many young, and old alike – until now. Gov. Terry McAuliffe has given an opportunity to the disenfranchised to become full-time citizens.
Why would any political party wish to continually reject an individual because he or she made a mistake in the past? Creating responsible citizens should be the desire of every political party, law enforcement agency, and social organization.
I know the governor’s executive order may vanish like a candidate’s political promise, when he leaves office. But for now, I applaud the governor for taking a stand for those individuals who can now be a part of our political process.
L.J. McCoy, Jr.
President of the Chesterfield NAACP
