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Category Archives: Criminal Justice Reform

Upcoming Virtual Event – The Fight to Abolish Felony Disenfranchisement

Posted on July 21, 2025 - 9:08 am by

Monday, July 21, 2025
2:00 PM ET/ 11:00 AM PT

Felony disenfranchisement, a Jim Crow relic which takes away an individual’s freedom to vote if they have been convicted of a felony, is a stain on our democracy. This practice excludes millions of Americans from participating in our elections depending on where they live, either because they have been disenfranchised under law or because of confusing or burdensome laws around restoring their voting rights.

Campaign Legal Center’s Restore Your Vote team has been working alongside clients, partners and affected individuals in states across the country to fight back against felony disenfranchisement and help those in their communities restore their freedom to vote.

Panelists from states that have made progress in this fight will illuminate the historical context behind the practice of felony disenfranchisement; discuss the unique barriers faced by advocates for voting rights restoration; and highlight the strategies and tactics that are proving successful across the country.

🚨Register to Attend🚨

On July 21 at 2 PM ET, Campaign Legal Center, joined by local community leaders who have been working to combat felony disenfranchisement, will hold a conversation to explore how states across the country are making progress toward abolishing this practice and how other states can follow suit.

Winsome Earle-Sears: Senate Tie-Breaker

Posted on July 7, 2025 - 10:47 am by


Since her inauguration in January 2022, Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears has held the constitutional duty to break ties in the narrowly divided Virginia Senate, where Democrats control the chamber by a slim margin. Tie-breaking votes during her tenure have uniformly aligned with the Republican caucus’s positions, including instances where Senate Democrats engineered tie votes to force her to go on record against popular policies. Overall, her interventions in tie votes have consistently bolstered conservative priorities on social policy and legislative governance. Here is a selection of some bills on which Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears has cast tie-breaking votes.

 

2022 Session

Voted against SB 137 (McPike) – Would have allowed defendants to appeal a judge’s discretionary sentence if there was no written explanation that adequately explained the sentence imposed.

 

2023 Session

Voted against SB 1379 (Deeds) – Would have waived sovereign immunity from jail medical professionals, allowing them to be held accountable for wrongful death or injury of prisoners in their care.

Voted for SB 1459 (McDougle) – Prohibited the use of TikTok on any state-owned devices, or devices connected to state internet services.

Voted against amendment to SJ 276 (Spruill), which would have removed a Glenn Youngkin appointee from the roster of UVA Board of Visitors appointees.

 

2024 Session

Voted against SB 643 (Aird) – Would have changed “failure to appear” from a criminal offense to a civil violation, lessening the consequences for defendants who, for whatever reason, miss a required court appearance.

Voted against SB 712 (Marsden) – Would have made it illegal to release hunting dogs within 15 feet of a highway or right-of-way owned or maintained by the Department of Transportation.

 

2025 Session

Voted against SB 1105 (Hashmi) – Would have established a legal right to access and utilize contraception.