Va. felons with restored rights likely to live among Democrats

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The nearly 13,000 Virginia felons whose voting rights were restored, stripped, then restored again are more likely to live in areas that voted for Democrats than Republicans.

Data from the Virginia Public Access Project showed that nearly one-third of the felons with restored voting rights live in a precinct where President Barack Obama received more than 75 percent of the vote in 2012.

Less than 2 percent of the felons live in a precinct where 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney received three-quarters of the vote.

Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe restored the voting rights to the felons last week after a previous attempt was undone by the state’s Supreme Court. Republicans have accused McAuliffe of trying to add more Democrats to voting rolls ahead of November’s election.

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