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Opinion: Virginia needs a constitutional cure for disenfranchisement

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Opinion: Virginia needs a constitutional cure for disenfranchisement


In Virginia, my home state, a felony conviction results in an automatic loss of voting rights. Previous Virginia governors used executive actions to automatically restore the right to vote to thousands of formerly convicted citizens. Rolling back years of progress, Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently reversed these advancements, now requiring convicted individuals to directly petition the governor to regain this right.

On Dec. 13, a judge rejected the Virginia NAACP’s attempt to access a database the governor uses to reinstate these voting rights. The ongoing lack of transparency highlights a deeper problem with the governor’s approach: a discretionary and opaque restoration process that is susceptible to discrimination. But the gubernatorial strategy is not novel, it is part of a statewide criminal disenfranchisement strategy rooted in the Jim Crow era. There’s an urgent need for a constitutional amendment in the commonwealth to automatically restore voting rights of formerly incarcerated people.

The governor’s restoration process is shrouded in secrecy and susceptible to discrimination. The “restoration of rights” application requests details about incarceration, fines, fees and restitution, but omits criteria used by the governor in his decision-making. An individual’s ability to vote could be capriciously denied with no justification, depending solely on Youngkin’s say-so.

This voting restoration process in Virginia is opaque and potentially discriminatory against people of color who have been historically disproportionately impacted by the Virginia carceral system and overrepresented in the state’s penal system. Restricting the governor’s considerations and data regarding petitions raises concerns about the fairness and equity of the process. Without clear metrics, public accountability for the governor’s decisions remains elusive.

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Perhaps the governor’s office does maintain clear internal standards. Secretary of the Commonwealth Kay James, responding to the NAACP’s inquiries, stated that Youngkin “is less likely to quickly restore the voting rights of anyone who used a firearm in the commission of a crime” and will “generally speaking, but not always” restore the rights of nonviolent offenders. If such practices exist, why not make the guidelines public and accessible?

The existing process, flawed by its “opt-in” character, forces formerly incarcerated individuals to submit individual petitions in order to have their civil rights restored. The Youngkin administration then, seemingly arbitrarily, reviews each petition independently. Even if one is comfortable with the governor exercising this significant amount of discretion, this approach is unlikely to be the most efficient nor effective solution. Instead, we need a flat rule of automatic restoration.

Virginia must pass a constitutional amendment that automatically ensures formerly incarcerated people have the right to vote upon release from incarceration. The Virginia House of Delegates and Senate have previously considered similar legislation; it was killed by the Republican-controlled House.

But this issue should transcend partisanship. We need a provision in our constitutional framework that safeguards the fates of our fellow citizens, ensuring their futures are not left to the whims of whoever happens to be occupying the governor’s mansion.

I am frustrated that Virginia stands alone in the severity of this policy. But this issue is not restricted to the commonwealth. Twenty-five states have obstacles to restoration of voting rights in some form, whether they be waiting periods, petition systems or parole requirements. These disenfranchisement strategies are part of a greater national voter suppression crisis. Implementing a constitutional amendment in Virginia can ensure our restoration process is transparent and easy to model. In doing so, we can set an example for other states interested in improving voting access.

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Virginia has a dark legacy of voter suppression that has evolved over time, with felon disenfranchisement emerging as a modern embodiment of this injustice. A constitutional amendment would provide a textual shield against these unjust disparate voting policies and ensure that who is able to vote is not simply left to the shifting opinions of a governor.

Sophia Houdaigui of McLean is a law student at the University of Chicago Law School.



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Virginia Basketball Holds Off Manhattan 74-65 | Key Takeaways

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Virginia Basketball Holds Off Manhattan 74-65 | Key Takeaways


Virginia (4-2) got back in the win column with a 74-65 victory over Manhattan (3-3) on Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. Here are our five quick takeaways from the Cavaliers’ win over the Jaspers.

Virginia was in serious need of a win after suffering those two humbling losses to Tennessee and St. John’s in The Bahamas. But a convincing and comfortable victory would have been even better and for a while, it seemed like the Cavaliers were on their way to doing just that. UVA led by as many as 15 points in the first half and opened up a 16-point advantage midway through the second half. But rather than putting the game away, Virginia let Manhattan hang around and the visiting Jaspers were in a situation where they were fouling to stop the clock in the final minutes, narrowing the deficit to as little as six points. A win is a win, but this was far from a confidence-boosting performance.

Virginia went with a new starting lineup on Tuesday night, as Andrew Rohde replaced TJ Power. Rohde has been playing very well recently, particularly with his resurgent outside shot, while Power came into this game shooting 25% from beyond the arc this season.

Power initially responded well to the benching, swishing a corner three shortly after he first entered the game, hitting the deck for a loose ball, and coming up with a steal to stop a Manhattan fastbreak. But he wound up playing only six minutes, fewest among Cavaliers who saw the floor in the game. That does not bode well for the Duke transfer.

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Read Val’s Plus/Minus breakdown of the game here.

Rohde, on the other hand, had another solid game and was perhaps the top performer for the Hoos on Tuesday night. Though he missed his only three-pointer, which was a desperation off-balanced heave at the end of the shot clock, Rohde finished with a season-high 14 points, two assists (with one turnover), two rebounds, and four steals. Rohde showed excellent feel for the game, getting exactly where he wanted to go and exhibiting some nice touch on a couple of floaters plus a short jumper off the glass. If Rohde is playing like this and his three-point shot continues to be there, this could be a big season for the former St. Thomas transfer.

The main reason why this game continued to be close deep into the second half is because UVA’s defense frequently broke down and gave up open shots to Manhattan, particularly from the perimeter. The Jaspers shot 11/26 (42.3%) from beyond the arc and and seven different players knocked down a three. A couple of those Manhattan triples were well-contested, but the vast majority of them were wide-open. That’s very concerning and shows that this Virginia defense, with its many new faces, is still very much a work in progress.

Virginia’s offense was pretty well neutralized by Tennessee and St. John’s in The Bahamas. Tuesday night against Manhattan was a small step in the right direction, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.

Let’s start with the good. Five different Cavaliers scored in double figures, including a game-high 18 points from Isaac McKneely, who hit three of his four three-point attempts and went 5/6 from the free throw line. We still think McKneely needs to shoot way more, but we’ll leave that alone for now. Dai Dai Ames scored 10 points and dished out five assists, but fouled out of the game. Blake Buchanan made his first four shots and finished with 11 points and five boards. Cofie made five of his seven shots and finished with 10 points and five boards. The best part of the game was that Virginia had 15 assists on 29 made baskets and turned the ball over only eight times, a vast improvement over the team’s turnover issues in The Bahamas.

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Virginia outscored Manhattan 42-22 in the paint. That looks like a good stat, but it’s also an inevitable stat because of UVA’s size advantage over the Jaspers, whose tallest player in the rotation is 6’8″. Still, Manhattan snared 10 offensive rebounds and scored 11 second-chance points. In The Bahamas, UVA was dominated on the glass and was simply outmatched from a physicality and athleticism standpoint. Nothing we saw from the Cavaliers on Tuesday night did anything to alleviate those concerns.

Up next, Virginia remains at home for another (supposed) tune-up game against Holy Cross on Friday at 4pm at John Paul Jones Arena.

Virginia vs. Manhattan Live Updates | NCAA Men’s Basketball

UVA Basketball: Ten Things We Learned About Virginia in The Bahamas

Virginia Basketball Falls to St. John’s 80-55 | Key Takeaways

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Virginia vs. Manhattan Live Updates | NCAA Men’s Basketball

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Virginia vs. Manhattan Live Updates | NCAA Men’s Basketball


Virginia (3-2) is set to host Manhattan (3-2) on Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia. Follow along with score updates, play-by-play, and live analysis for the game in the thread below. Updates will be posted at each timeout in reverse chronological order with the most recent updates at the top of the article. Refresh the page for updates.

As we await our 7pm tip between Virginia and Manhattan on the ACC Network, read a full preview of the game here: Virginia Basketball vs. Manhattan Game Preview, Score Prediction

Virginia has posted its starting five for tonight’s game:
– Dai Dai Ames
– Isaac McKneely
– Andrew Rohde
– Elijah Saunders
– Blake Buchanan

Notably, TJ Power has been replaced by Andrew Rohde in the starting lineup after starting the first five games of the season. Power is shooting 25% from three (4/16), while Rohde is currently shooting 50% from beyond the arc (7/14).

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  • Virginia and Manhattan will meet on Tuesday night for just the second time ever and first time since March 19th, 1993, when the Cavaliers defeated the Jaspers 78-66 in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament.
  • UVA is 9-0 against current members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
  • Virginia’s last game against a MAAC team was back in 2012, when the Cavaliers defeated Fairfield 54-45 at John Paul Jones Arena.
  • UVA is 2-0 at John Paul Jones Arena this season and 3-0 against unranked opponents this season.

Read more Virginia men’s basketball news and content in the links below:

UVA Basketball: Ten Things We Learned About Virginia in The Bahamas

Virginia Basketball Falls to St. John’s 80-55 | Key Takeaways

The Plus/Minus: Virginia Gets Skunked by Tennessee in The Bahamas

Virginia Basketball Falls to Tennessee 64-42 | Key Takeaways



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Suspect steals property from store, assaults employee in Virginia

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Suspect steals property from store, assaults employee in Virginia


A man has been arrested after entering a store in McLean, stealing merchandise and assaulting an employee. 

The suspect has been identified as Calvin Hughes Jr, of Washington D.C.

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Leesburg Pike robbery suspect 

Police responded to the 8300 block of Leesburg Pike in McLean for a commercial robbery on November 21 around 11:00 a.m. According to police, the suspect entered the store, stole merchandise, and assaulted an employee. 

Hughes Jr. was identified and arrested nearby for robbery and is being held without bond. 



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