As an organization whose theory of change revolves around the ballot box, a healthy, accessible democracy that works for all Virginians is integral to our mission. When there are barriers to voting, or efforts that seek to silence or diminish the voices of Virginians, the environment suffers. We work to elect champions to office who support a strong democracy and will defend and expand voting rights while ensuring all Virginians are able to make their voices heard.
Virginia is home to strong policies that promote access to the ballot box. Same-day voter registration, no-excuse absentee or “early” voting, and vote-by-mail options are all examples of ways that lawmakers have made it easier for Virginians in every corner of the Commonwealth to participate in our democracy. We must now work to defend these laws from attack while remaining open to future voting reforms that continue making progress toward an open, inclusive democracy that works for all Virginians.
Virginia’s Constitution of 1902 included a number of harmful provisions intended to diminish the voting power of Black Virginians, including a measure stripping anyone with a felony conviction of the right to vote. Today, this measure is still on the books and is responsible for the disenfranchisement of an estimated 260,000 voting-age Virginians.
Virginia LCV has been working to amend our Constitution to eliminate this harmful provision and ensure that restored voting rights are an automatic part of the reentry process. We are also committed to continuing to make sure that impacted Virginians are aware of how to register to vote and begin participating in our democracy.
Our Issues
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A Fair & Free Democracy
As an organization whose theory of change revolves around the ballot box, a healthy, accessible democracy that works for all Virginians is integral to our mission. When there are barriers to voting, or efforts that seek to silence or diminish the voices of Virginians, the environment suffers. We work to elect champions to office who support a strong democracy and will defend and expand voting rights while ensuring all Virginians are able to make their voices heard.
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Healthy Communities
The environment isn’t an abstract concept – it’s all around us, and plays a huge role in our quality of life, everything from how we get from place to place, to whether our kids have safe places to play. All Virginians deserve to live in healthy, balanced communities with abundant green spaces, access to the outdoors, and safe, clean ways to get from “Point A” to “Point B,” but this often isn’t the case.
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Clean Water
Clean water is a necessity. Without it, life as we know it can’t flourish. Unfortunately, the threats to water quality in Virginia are numerous – heavy industry, toxic chemicals, over-development, antiquated wastewater systems, urban runoff and pollution from agriculture all threaten our waterways, big and small.
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Clean, Affordable Energy
Today, Virginia is on the path to a 100% clean, affordable energy future – the only state in the south to commit to entirely phasing dirty, expensive fossil fuels out of our electricity mix. We had to fight hard to get here, and we will continue fighting not to just stay on track, but to get there faster.
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