Michael Edwards, a community leader in southern Virginia, spent eight years in prison for a marijuana-trafficking conviction in the 1970s and he feels like he was punished for more than 30 years — the time it took for him to regain his voting rights in Virginia.
Hopefully that won’t happen to any other ex-felons in Virginia if a group of civil rights organizations are successful in their campaign to push Gov. Robert McDonnell to provide an easier path to voting for ex-felons who have served their time.
In Virginia and three other states, a felony conviction means the automatic loss of many civil rights including the right to vote……even after the criminal serves their time in prison.
See the full story at NewsOne
