The ultimate swing state, Virginia, might turn very blue this year—thanks to Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe, a key Clinton ally.
Under current law, anyone convicted of a felony in Virginia—no matter how long they’ve been out of prison—is barred from voting.
To get around that, McAuliffe announced he would pardon 60,000 convicted felons, in order to give them the opportunity to vote in Tuesday’s election. He had previously announced he was going to pardon just 13,000, but increased that number in recent weeks.
Initially, McAuliffe—who ran Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign—attempted to give all of Virginia’s 200,000 convicted felons the right to vote.
That gambit was later thrown out by a state court, which ruled that McAuliffe could pardon as many felons as he wanted as governor—but he would have to review each case individually, per state law.
To “personally review” the 60,000 felons he ultimately pardoned, McAuliffe allegedly used an autopen to automatically “sign” thousands of clemency letters.
Virginia’s last statewide election, a 2014 Senate race, was decided by just 17,000 votes. If McAuliffe’s gamble pays off, he could deliver 60,000 new votes to Hillary Clinton. The state is considered a “must-win” for Hillary Clinton’s presidential hopes.
AAN Staff
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