Easing journey from prison to polls

They own homes and businesses. They write letters to the editor. They pay taxes. But they cannot vote.

Thousands of men and women in Virginia are disenfranchised because they don't know about a program that can restore their right to vote.

Thirty-nine states automatically return voting rights to at least some people who have been convicted of felonies and completed their sentences. In Virginia, only the governor can reinstate those rights.

Former Gov. Mark Warner whittled the application down to a single page for nonviolent criminals, and Gov. Tim Kaine further simplified the process. More than 1,500 Virginians have successfully petitioned for their rights during Kaine's term.

A loose alliance of community groups is working this summer to get the word out and assist people who need help navigating the process. Information and advice is being handed out at churches, grocery stores, shopping centers, civic league meetings and even door-to-door.

This fall's presidential election has added urgency, but the new voters will also have the opportunity to choose a new U.S. senator and local representatives.

Help is available from a variety of organizations, many of them already well known. Step Up Inc. (757-588-3151), a Norfolk nonprofit, offers a variety of services to current and former inmates, and can answer questions about the application process. Democracy South and the fledgling 10,000 Voters are organizing outreach programs. The Virginia Organizing Project is coordinating similar efforts statewide.

The office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, which processes voting petitions, has set an ambitious goal. Officials hope to respond to everyone who applies by Aug. 1 in time to allow those who are qualified to register and vote this fall. They are also urging people not to wait until the last minute.

People convicted of nonviolent crimes can apply three years after completing their sentences, if they have a clean record. For violent and serious drug crimes, the waiting period is five years.

State Sen. Yvonne Miller of Norfolk has waged a lonely crusade for years to establish an automatic process for restoring voting rights to people convicted of non violent felonies.

Unfortunately, few of Miller's colleagues in the legislature share her concern, and her efforts are regularly rebuffed. Until a more enlightened generation of state lawmakers takes up this cause, community groups like the ones active in Hampton Roads will have to carry out this mission one voter at a time.