Skip to content
Democracy SENTRY
Voting in your state
UpdateVirginiaWednesday, October 14, 2026

Virginia investigated after deceased felons sent voting rights letters

Reporting by
NBC12/12 On Your Side (Richmond)
“Virginia’s Governor investigates after deceased felons get voting rights restored”, Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger investigated after families of deceased felons received letters stating their voting rights had been restored. Fox News reported the error occurred at least twice following Spanberger's July announcement restoring rights for more than 66,000 Virginians with past felony convictions who had completed their sentences. Spanberger attributed the problem to state databases failing to communicate updates on deaths.1

Former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin criticized the administration's record-checking process, saying every name should be personally reviewed by the governor.1

Key dates in Virginia

Election Day in 6 days
  1. Fri, Sep 18 · passed
    Early voting begins
  2. Fri, Oct 23 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  3. Tue, Nov 3 · 6 days
    Election Day; Registration deadline
  4. Fri, Nov 6 · 9 days
    Mail ballots must arrive
  5. Fri, Nov 13 · 16 days
    County/Local certification
  6. Mon, Dec 7 · 40 days
    State certification

Every date in Virginia, and who certifies the election

The answers behind this
Who can vote after a convictionVoting in Virginia, 2026Who certifies the election in Virginia, and by when?How are votes counted and certified in North Carolina?

Explore this issue

OverviewUpdates In depthMisleading texts impersonated voter guide in Arizona In depthNorth Carolina election board to send letters to over 1,000 voters In depthFederal judge blocked Justice Department from demanding unredacted voter rolls In depthFederal judge blocks DOJ nationwide voter roll program In depthLuzerne County set 10-foot buffer at ballot drop box after complaint In depthMaricopa County Recorder's Office asked FBI to investigate conspiracy group claim In depthDemocracy Docket tracking record 204 active voting and election cases In depthCuyahoga County officials debunked false claim about poll workers marking ballots In depthDemocratic senators asked AG to confirm DOJ will not seize ballots in midterms In depthBexar County official addressed voter concerns ahead of early voting In depthWisconsin Elections Commission barred clerks from using citizenship database In depthNAACP sued Justice Department over plan for poll monitors nationwide

Sources

  1. NBC12/12 On Your Side (Richmond), https://12onyourside.com/2026/10/09/virginias-governor-is-investigating-after-families-deceased-felons-get-rights-restored · Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Ask

Have a question about voting in Virginia?

Ask it here. If we do not have the answer yet, we will find it.