Reformed felon says she will be first in the voting line

VIRGINIA BEACH

Eighteen years ago, a youthful lapse of judgment tagged Lecia Woodhouse with a felony conviction for credit card fraud, forgery and theft. She was sentenced to supervised release.

After her sentencing, she attempted to register to vote, but her registration wasn't accepted because she was a felon.

"I was told I would have to go through the courts to get my rights restored, and at that time, I sure didn't want to see any more courts," Woodhouse, 43, said. "So I never went back."

The Norfolk native continued to get her life on track, going to Hampton University and earning her nursing degree. She is working to get her registered nursing degree.

But every November, she was reminded of her past when others would vote, and she could not. She was envious of those who walked around that first Tuesday in November wearing their "I Voted" stickers.

"I wanted to, but I couldn't," she said. "I felt embarrassed. I didn't want to tell people I can't vote."

Resigned to never having that right, Woodhouse was intrigued when James Bailey and a team of volunteers from the NAACP started going door-to-door in her Virginia Beach neighborhood this summer looking for people who weren't registered to vote.

"I thought I would have to jump through all of these hoops, but he explained it was just a couple pieces of paper that needed to be notarized and then sent up to the governor for his signature," Woodhouse said.

The process was lengthy, but only because Bailey and his teams were registering so many. Her packet was sent to the governor in August and on Sept. 17, she received her letter informing her that her rights were restored.

"It felt good when I opened that letter," Woodhouse said. "I went down to register and got my card within a couple of days. It makes me feel like I've finally put everything behind me, that last bit of baggage is gone. I'm going to be the first one in line to vote."

Devon Hubbard Sorlie, 222-5202,

devon.sorlie@pilotonline.com