PETERSBURG, Va. - Church leaders and civil rights groups rallied on Saturday in Petersburg, asking Gov. Tim Kaine to restore the rights of felons before he leaves office in January.

Pamela Nicholas became a felon after incurring three misdemeanors for shoplifting. Nicholas acknowledges that some would say she gave up her rights when she committed the crimes, but she notes that they occurred more than ten years ago and says she has atoned.

"You can't be punished always in life, and I tell them that, well, God has forgiven me and washed my sins of all of it. You know, I don't really worry what a lot of people say. I just gotta keep believing in me and goin' forward."

Nicholas says a restoration of her rights would mean she wouldn't have to note that she's a felon on job applications, she would be allowed to serve on a jury, and she could vote. She tried an individual appeal to the governor last year because she desperately wanted to vote for America's first Black president, she says.

"Always in my heart I really wanted to vote, and I was very hurt and disappointed when I couldn't vote in the Obama race. I was all motivated, I was energetic and ready to go, and I got everything done. Then within a month they sent back a denial letter."

Nicholas says no reason was given for the denial. Gov. Kaine is a former civil rights lawyer; while in office, he has restored the rights of more than 4,000 felons - more than any other previous Virginia governor.

The Virginia Organizing Project organized the Saturday rally. Virginia and Kentucky are the only two states that permanently strip felons of civil rights such as voting, serving on juries or holding public office. An estimated 300,000 Virginians like Nicholas would benefit from an executive order restoring their rights.

More information is available by calling the Virginia Organizing Project, 202-470-5878.




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More than one in five Americans is a woman of color - and a new poll shows they are not feeling heard and want policymakers to address issues they care about. The poll comes from a coalition of civil rights groups called Intersections of our Lives.

Lupe Rodriguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice says while motivation across the electorate is lower than in the past - candidates who want to win must pay attention to women of color.

"Women-of-color voters can't be underestimated. Elections are often decided by narrow margins. We should not be seen as low-propensity voters, we need to be seen as high-potential voters, and folks can't afford to take us for granted," she explained.

The poll found nearly nine in ten women of color say voting is extremely or very important. Women's rights and abortion, combined, are top issues for 31% of Black women, 34% of Latinas, and 36% of AAPI women.

Roshni Nedungadi, chief research officer and founding partner of the public opinion research firm HIT Strategies, said women voters of color are highly concerned about economic issues that affect their everyday lives - and not just high grocery prices.

"They're thinking about access to affordable health care, including abortion and birth control. They're thinking about more affordable housing, they're thinking of course about cost of living, job creation, and closing the pay gap," she continued.

The poll also found that 93% of Black women, 84% of AAPI women, 79% of Latinas agree with the statement that racism has gone on too long and that policies to advance racial equity are long overdue.


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The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday took up arguments in a highly watched case concerning ballot dropboxes. Supporters of lifting a near-total ban say such a move would help a range of voters across the state.

In 2022, the state's highest court and its then-conservative majority ruled that dropboxes should be limited to election clerks' offices. But with a liberal majority now in place, the court is revisiting the issue. Dropboxes have become popular among voters in a post-pandemic world.

Jenelle Ludwig Krause, who leads the group GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin, said many people benefit from having different places to securely return their absentee ballots.

"Busy farmers who need be on their field when the conditions are dry; it makes it possible for parents that are juggling a million things to cast their ballot; for people with disabilities, for elderly people," she explained.

She added dropboxes aren't just beneficial to certain geographic locations, noting they help voters in both urban and rural areas. Broader debates about this option tend to focus on whether the boxes invite fraud and could be tampered with. But the Bipartisan Policy Center says they're set up by government officials and are often under 24-hour surveillance.

Krause also pointed out that with dropboxes helping voters all around Wisconsin, more people from all kinds of backgrounds would have their say on key issues come election time. She said it's difficult to enact change when a person is weighed down by restrictive voting policies.

"There are special interest groups in Wisconsin that have worked really, really hard to make it hard for regular people in Wisconsin to vote. You know, they want to protect the status quo," she said.

Conservative justices, along with those representing the Republican-led Legislature, were critical of arguments to overturn the 2022 opinion. However, liberal justices appeared receptive to the belief that the original ruling was flawed. Election analysts say the outcome could have a significant impact on the 2024 presidential race, with Wisconsin again forecast as a battleground state.


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Voting-rights advocates continue their push to restore these rights for formerly incarcerated Mississippians after lawmakers failed to act.

House Bill 1609, which died in the state Senate last week, would have automatically reinstated voting rights for people who complete their sentences and remain felony-free for five years.

Nsombi Lambright-Haynes, executive director of One Voice, said nearly 60 voting-rights bills were introduced during the legislative session, but fewer than 10 survived.

"Those eight that have passed the Senate now go to the governor's desk," he said, "and he can sign them or not sign them and they become law, and those people have their voting rights back. Or he can choose to veto those."

One in ten Mississippians does not have a voice at the ballot box because of a prior felony conviction.

Lambright-Haynes said the campaign is also working to overturn a 134-year-old Mississippi lifetime voting ban law that prevents people convicted of certain crimes from casting a ballot.

It is a difficult process to get voting rights restored in Mississippi, Lambright-Haynes said. Formerly incarcerated persons must hire an attorney to have their record expunged, and then get a pardon from the governor - or they can seek help from state lawmakers.

"You can get your representatives to introduce a bill on your behalf," he said, "and that bill is introduced in whatever house that representative is a part of, either the House or the Senate, and it's voted on."

State Rep. Otis Anthony, D-Indianola, said the folks re-entering society should be granted the right to fully participate in all aspects of life.

"These are human beings who have families," he said. "These are people who have been convicted, they've been incarcerated, they've paid their debt to society. And yet, we're not allowing them to be fully restored. Let's not take the human side out of the equation."

The bill would need two-thirds approval of the House and Senate. The Fifth Circuit Court heard arguments in a lawsuit challenging the lifetime voting ban in January, but has not yet ruled in the case.


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