RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia NAACP has released its legislative agenda for the upcoming 2024 General Assembly session, naming the restoration of voting rights for people who were previously incarcerated as one of its top priorities.
Tyee Mallory, legislative coordinator for the Virginia NAACP, said during a Monday, Jan. 8, press conference that House-Senate Joint Resolution 2 is one of the organization’s “flagship” bills this year — as it has been for the previous three years.
This bill would amend Virginia’s constitution to restore voting rights to people formerly incarcerated automatically upon their release, unless they are “adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting,” according to the bill’s text.
“We want to expand access [to voting] — not limit it at all,” said Gaylene Kanoyton, vice president of the Virginia NAACP’s region I and its political action chair.
Additional priorities related to increasing voting access include establishing mandatory Sunday voting and allowing pre-registration for future voters at 16 years old, which Mallory said creates a “lifelong habit of people voting.”
The Virginia NAACP spoke against bills such as House Bill 44, which would shorten the early voting period from 45 days to 30 days.
“Once Virginians enjoy a right, it does not make a lot of sense to take that right away,” Kanoyton said.
Voting access is one of seven legislative agenda categories the Virginia NAACP spoke on during its press conference. Others included healthcare, education and criminal justice reform.
The organization will also push back against “any and all attempts that will censure our [Black] history,” according to Kanoyton.
Virginia NAACP spokespersons said equality is needed within the state’s criminal justice system. Changes it supports include increased awareness of potential biases when sentencing Black people and addressing racial profiling in policing. Additionally, the organization will support protecting juvenile court rights and it will challenge unfairness within the court system.
The organization said it will advocate for “common sense gun legislation,” including requiring comprehensive background checks and prohibiting the sale or transport of assault weapons. Safe storage bills are also a priority considering recent events.
Alongside efforts to support the Black community, the Virginia NAACP stated its support of HJ 1, which would enshrine access to abortions within the state constitution. It also said it will advocate for protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
