Felony Disenfranchisement in Virginia
Christine Bartruff
As of 2020, over 5 million Americans are disenfranchised because of a felony conviction. Virginia is one of three states which still permanently disenfranchises people with a felony conviction, even after completing their sentences. While the current governor grants restorations of voting rights periodically, leaving the voting rights of a group in the hand of one person is not a stable system. Virginia must amend its constitution to restore the rights of those with felony convictions.
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Christine Bartruff is a junior in the South Carolina Honors College, majoring in journalism with a political science minor. She first became interested in elections and voting in 2008, when her elementary school ran a mock presidential election. She now works with the University of South Carolina’s student newspaper, The Daily Gamecock. In her time with the paper she has covered and arranged coverage of political rallies, marches and campaign events. Christine hopes to use what she learned in class and with this project in her future reporting, both in college and beyond.
