Virginia nixes felon voting fix
Legislators rejected a proposal Friday to allow Virginians to decide whether to make it easier for nonviolent felons to get their voting rights restored.
The House Privileges and Elections Committee voted 14-8 to kill Sen. Yvonne B. Miller's legislation to place the issue on the November ballot.
The Virginia Constitution allows only the governor to restore the felons' rights after they serve their sentence. Miller, D-Norfolk, said about 400,000 Virginians have yet to have their rights restored. ...
To get a constitutional amendment on the ballot, the General Assembly must pass the proposal in two sessions with an intervening legislative election. Miller's proposal passed last year. -- Proposal on restoration of rights rejected (AP)