Governor Abigail Spanberger of Virginia sent voting-rights restoration letters to individuals who are deceased, including a case reported by Howard “Skip” Lambert where his daughter, who had a felony conviction and died in 2024, received such a letter. This incident raises questions about the thoroughness and accuracy of the vetting process used by Spanberger’s administration when restoring voting rights to felons. Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson expressed concern that these letters could potentially be misused if someone tries to register a deceased person to vote, especially with Virginia's online voter registration system.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 58136: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-05
Deceased Virginians with felony convictions are reportedly among those receiving voting-rights restoration letters under Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who announced in July that she had restored voting rights to 66,000 people with felony convictions.
uncertain
she → decease → convictions
The notices come as Virginia separately implements a federal court ruling that sharply narrowed which felony convictions can trigger disenfranchisement, while voters this fall will decide whether to amend the state constitution to automatically restore voting rights upon release from incarceration.
"
asserted
voters → come → incarceration
I've been a lawyer for 27 years and in every minute of my career, when you were convicted of a felony, you lose your voting rights.
asserted
you → convict → rights
The way you get those back is you have to petition the governor and then the governor can review your case and determine whether the civil rights of a convicted felon should be restored," Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson told Fox News Digital on Monday.
asserted
Anderson → get → Monday
Anderson, who shared posts showing letters from Spanberger and her administration sent to families of deceased recipients, said the situation is "one or the other" — either Richmond is not vetting who receives the restoration notifications or its vetting is not thorough enough to catch deceased recipients.
"
asserted
vetting → share → recipients
The order specifically says that they've reviewed [each] case individually, right?"
asserted
they → say → case
He noted that Virginia has online voter registration and questioned whether an unscrupulous relative who received one of the notifications might try to register their dead relative to vote.
uncertain
who → note → relative
"These dead people clearly aren't petitioning the governor to get their civil liberties back...
asserted
people → petition → liberties
they're restoring every single felon's civil disabilities without anybody even asking.
asserted
anybody → restore → disabilities
Virginia resident Howard "Skip" Lambert posted a July 1 restoration notice signed by Spanberger and an Aug. 31 notification from her administration addressed to a redacted relative, informing the recipient that their voting rights had been restored.
asserted
rights → post → recipient
The July letter said that after the relative had been convicted and sentenced, Spanberger’s office "completed review of the particulars of the individual’s case."
asserted
office → say → case
Anderson pointed to that line as evidence of vetting.
asserted
Anderson → point → vetting
Lambert’s letter went on to say the relative would have their civil rights — except for the ability to transport or possess firearms — restored effective July 1.
asserted
rights → go → firearms
In the ensuing letter from Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon-King, the relative was notified that Spanberger had restored their right to vote and serve on a jury and was encouraged to re-register to vote at the online "Citizen’s Portal" via a QR code.
asserted
Spanberger → ensue → code
Lambert wrote that he was upset by the mailings, saying the recipient was his daughter, who died in 2024.
asserted
who → write → 2024
He also confirmed that she had a felony conviction.
asserted
she → confirm → conviction
"Interesting this letter arrives as early-voting begins... yet the provided official order is dated July 1," he said on Sept. 24.
asserted
he → arrive → Sept.
"Just because cash doesn't change hands doesn't mean the governor isn't trying to buy votes.
asserted
governor → change → votes
Reached by phone Monday, the Fredericksburg-area resident confirmed to Fox News Digital that the documents were authentic and that the recipient was his daughter.
asserted
recipient → reach → Digital
"I do have a question of timing in the letter I believe my daughter voted in the previous election where it was Hillary and Donald Trump — because she had had her rights restored then," he said.
asserted
he → have → election
Around the time of that election, former Democratic Gov. Terence McAuliffe attempted a mass restoration but was rebuked by the Virginia Supreme Court, which ruled that he did not have the authority to take such an action affecting an estimated 206,000 Virginians, according to NPR.
uncertain
he → attempt → NPR
Another woman named Peggie Young posted a similar set of documents addressed to her "dear BFF, Peter Breton.
asserted
woman → name → BFF
Is this perhaps how voter fraud begins.
asserted
fraud → begin → ?
I'm so confused," she said, adding that she also received the letter only on Sept. 29.
asserted
she → confuse → Sept.
Young could not immediately be reached.
uncertain
Young → reach → ?
The federal case began in 2023 as King v. Youngkin, when disenfranchised Virginians sued then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other state officials, arguing that Virginia’s blanket felony ban conflicted with the federal Virginia Readmission Act of 1870.
U.S. District Judge John Gibney Jr. ruled in January that Virginia could disenfranchise people only for 11 common-law felonies recognized in 1870.
uncertain
Virginia → begin → 1870
After rejecting the state’s effort to map those offenses onto a broader list of modern crimes, Virginia ultimately narrowed automatic disenfranchisement to murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.
asserted
Virginia → reject → murder
The Department of Elections is separately notifying roughly 235,000 Virginians whose convictions no longer disqualify them from voting.
asserted
convictions → notify → them
Those court-driven notices are distinct from the Spanberger restoration orders received by Lambert and Young, which state that the governor’s office reviewed each recipient’s case before restoring multiple civil rights.
asserted
office → drive → rights
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger's office and ELECT for comment.
asserted
Digital → reach → comment
The Aporia
