THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 8, 1995 TAG: 9510080034
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
For many in Hampton Roads, there will be no election on Nov. 7.
They are the ex-convicts, felons stripped of their voting rights with their convictions, and unable to cast a ballot even decades after serving their sentences.
For most in this area, voting is easy.
Walk into a voter registrar's office or satellite sign-up site, fill out a form and you're set.
Tuesday at 5 p.m. is the deadline to get registered to cast a ballot in the Nov. 7 election.
But if you're a felon, only Gov. George F. Allen can get you back into a voting booth - and the odds are that he won't.
While many people never exercise their birthright to vote, and only a fraction of those registered regularly turn out to cast a ballot, the Virginia felon who wants to vote must go through a long, rigorous process, with no guarantee of success.
Felons must wait five years after serving a sentence, completing probation, and paying any fines. Only then can they attempt to regain their right to vote.
``It really is worth it,'' said Joyce Dedmon, who runs a program at the Basilica of St. Mary in Norfolk to help felons regain their voting rights. ``But it is a very difficult process, and they have to reveal personal information. Many people are unwilling to do that.''
In 1993, Dedmon took up a suggestion by state Sen. Yvonne B. Miller and began helping people regain the right to vote. She started with nine people, then narrowed it to a select group of three who were the most willing and likely to succeed.
Two years later, none of those people has regained voting rights. Dedmon is still trying.
``We'd really like to get this project running,'' she said.
It is not easy. The application requires letters from three people who can vouch for the applicant's character - preferably ministers, elected officials, prominent business leaders. It also requires certified copies of such documents as the felon's pre-sentence report and post-sentence report.
Since Gov. Allen took office, the state has required that applicants write a personal letter to the governor telling what has happened to them and how their life has changed. State officials usually tell applicants, after the packet is received, that the state will consider it for another nine to 12 months.
Dedmon said applicants are often unwilling to embarrass themselves by asking someone to write a letter on their behalf. They also fear that the application itself will somehow irritate officials and make future dealings with the bureaucracy more difficult.
Betsy Davis, the secretary of the commonwealth, handles 100 to 150 applications a year for Gov. Allen. Under Virginia law, Allen must read and decide each case individually. She simply makes sure the applications he sees are complete.
Since Allen took office, he has granted just 28 of the 87 applications that reached his desk, or about one-third.
When Allen denies an application, she said, it's usually because, ``There's not a reason to feel that the person is totally rehabilitated or sufficiently regretful of their crime, or have not turned their life around.''
Some believe it is too hard to get rights restored. Many released felons don't even know there is a process to regain the vote, Sen. Miller said. She also prompted St. Mary's to begin their program because she's convinced many churches and community service organizations don't know about the process and how they can help.
``If you have done all these things to repay your debt,'' said Ann Washington, Norfolk's voter registrar, ``we as a society should be trying to help you get back into society as a productive citizen. And one of the important ways is the right to vote.''
Davis disagrees.
``If someone wants their rights restored, you know, it should be a process that they take seriously and put their thoughts and time into,'' she said. ``To have these rights in the first place is a tremendous privilege.''
If re-elected Nov. 7, Miller plans to request a study of the application process in the next General Assembly session.
``We are very good at punishing people,'' she said, ``and we want to make sure we also are fair about restoring their rights.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Since Gov. George F. Allen took office, he has granted just 28 of
the 87 applications that reach his desk.
KEYWORDS: VOTING VIRGINIA PRISONERS by CNB