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Quadaire Patterson will vote for the first time this fall, a fact that brought a smile to his face on a recent afternoon as his 1-year-old daughter Trinity frolicked around the living room of the Henrico County home he shares with his wife.

He said he has been thinking about how future elections can shape Trinity’s future. But presently, he is eager to vote for a proposed amendment that could cement voting rights for formerly incarcerated people, like himself, into Virginia’s constitution.

Patterson, who was incarcerated at 19 years old after committing an armed robbery, served 16 years of a 20 year sentence before being released early in 2024 through a good behavior program.

He and wife Santia Nance joined other formerly incarcerated people and their families to advocate for the law change that allowed his early release. He has frequented the state capitol in the years since to lend insight to criminal justice legislation, despite being unable to vote for lawmakers himself.

That changed this summer when Gov. Abigail Spanberger restored his voting rights along with more than 60,000 formerly incarcerated Virginians. But the restoration process remains subjective; the amendment aims to make it a certainty.

Formerly Incarcerated Women Are Pushing Systemic Change in Elected Office

“Voting rights have been deduced down to a privilege that can be handed out and restricted,” Patterson said. “This amendment restores it back to the people.”

Virginia’s current constitution permanently disenfranchises people with all felony convictions unless they are pardoned by a governor or successfully petition one.

Restorations trended downwards under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin. For years, it had been unclear which formerly incarcerated people would get their voting rights back, and the criteria guiding that decision was........

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