A Virginia family received official notice that their dog, which died years ago, had its voting rights restored under Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s rights restoration program, according to The Gateway Pundit, citing a report from Fox News.
Fox News reported that a Southside Virginia lawmaker is demanding an investigation after a constituent received an official rights-restoration certificate for his dog, Biscuit, a beagle-hound mix from Goochland County that died about five years ago.
The discovery follows the “Betty No Last Name” controversy in Chesapeake, in which a purported convict without a surname reportedly had her rights restored. According to the report, it raises new questions about the governor’s vetting process just days before voters decide on an Election Day ballot measure, backed by Richmond Democrats, that would make voting-rights restoration for felons automatic.
Del. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, who received the letter from the dog’s owner, is calling for an investigation into how Spanberger could have restored voting and jury-service rights to a deceased animal. “This is not a question of whether people who have served their sentences deserve a second chance,” Garrett said, adding that the real question is whether the state is exercising the governor’s constitutional power “with even the most basic level of review.”
“Biscuit was a dog. Biscuit has been dead for five years,” Garrett said. He noted that an official document bearing the governor’s signature says the executive reviewed the particulars of Biscuit’s criminal case and decided her rights should be restored. “Virginians deserve an explanation for how that is possible,” he said.
