For Immediate Release
April 28, 2016
Contact: Dong Yoon Kim, dkim@nakasec.org
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium applauds the efforts of Virginia in restoring the right to vote for 206,000 community members
Annandale, VA — On April 22, 2016, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed an executive order restoring the right to vote for 206,000 community members who lost this right due to incarceration. Community members who have served time and are released on supervised terms or parole are now automatically able to register to vote again. Additional steps are now in implementation to ensure a simple process for restoration of rights. All 206,000 community members, once they have gone through the restoration process, will have the right to vote, right to serve on a jury, and a right to run for public office. Moving forward, Governor McAuliffe will be issuing periodic orders to restore the right to vote.
Dae Joong Yoon, Executive Director at National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), issued the following statement: “With 1 in 5 African American community members being disenfranchised, losing the right to vote, the restoration of this right is key to continuing a democracy in Virginia that makes sure all citizens regardless of color, race, or previous background have the right to vote. NAKASEC remains committed to ensuring that all Virginia residents who consider Virginia and the United States their home become citizens, have the right to vote, serve on a jury, and run for public office.”
To check whether your are able to restore your rights to vote, please visit here: https://solutions.virginia.gov/RestorationOfRights/search
To view the order, please click here: https://commonwealth.virginia.gov/media/5848/order_restoring_rights_4-22-16.pdf
