Spanberger Announces 100,000 Voting Rights Restorations, Slams Trump Election Claims
Aug 28, 2026
In remarks at the National Mall, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced her administration had restored voting rights to 100,000 eligible Virginians with prior felony convictions since taking office in January 2026, updating an earlier figure of 66,000. She advocated for a November 2026 constitutional amendment to automatically restore rights upon release from incarceration, framing current policy as a Jim Crow relic. Spanberger highlighted Virginia's civil rights history, recent record numbers of Black legislators and women in office, and firsts from the 2025 elections including herself as the first female governor, a Muslim woman lieutenant governor, and Black attorney general. She criticized the U.S. Supreme Court for weakening the Voting Rights Act, states for adding barriers, and President Trump plus Congress for using 'lies' about the 2024 election to undermine democracy, also tying it to efforts to cut healthcare, SNAP, and school funding.
The speech relied on official governor's office data and announcements with no named outside experts or opposing guests. It served as both policy update and campaign-style call to support the amendment and vote Democratic in November.