RICHMOND, Va. — Groups gathered at the Capitol Bell Tower to call for more transparency and accountability Wednesday morning after thousands of people were incorrectly removed from Virginia voter rolls.
"I stand before you as living proof that people can change. I am proof that rehabilitation is possible - that second chances are not just a concept," said Natasha White from the Interfaith Action for Human Rights.
In Virginia if someone is convicted of a felony, they lose their civil rights, including the right to vote.
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Only the governor can restore those rights.
Over the summer, reports began trickling in that some people were removed incorrectly.
The number was originally thought to be around 300, but last Friday the Dept. of Elections sent out a news release saying the number was actually around 3,400.
The department said State Police incorrectly misclassified probation violations as new felonies, which led to the voters being removed.
Portsmouth community activist Darrell Redmond got out of prison in 2019 and had his rights to restored.
Watch previous coverage: Democratic lawmakers call for federal investigation into Virginia voter rolls removals
"For me to have my rights back, it gave me a voice because if I can't vote, then I have no say into anything going on," said Redmond.
Redmond said he has heard about some people being removed, so he checked and found he was among them.
"Once I paid my debt to society, then why are you taking something from me?" he said.
Nathaniel Hill also had his rights restored in 2021, but said he was removed from the voter rolls with no explanation.
"Unless I committed a new crime, it should not have been taken away," he told News 3 Wednesday.
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Both men said they have since had their rights restored again, but wanted to join in the push for accountability and transparency.
Members of the group called for a federal investigation into the purge.
Gov. Youngkin has now ordered the state inspector general investigate the issue and check into if people convicted of new felonies were not removed when they should have.
"This is a dataset that clearly needs to be studied and understood. We're working constructively with the inspector general on all fronts to make sure that we get to the bottom of this," Youngkin told reporters Wednesday.
He said he's not sure how long the investigation will take, but said those impacted are being notified and will be able to vote in this upcoming election.
