弗吉尼亚州长恢复重罪犯投票权：斯潘伯格承认可能含已故者，承诺彻查
弗吉尼亚州州长阿比盖尔·斯潘伯格（Abigail Spanberger）10月9日（周五）向记者承认，她领导的州政府在为有重罪前科者恢复投票权的过程中，“有可能”把已经去世的人也纳入了名单，并表示州政府正在“深入调查”此事。
今年7月，斯潘伯格宣布，自她上任以来，州政府已为66,085名有重罪前科的弗吉尼亚人恢复了投票权。弗吉尼亚州宪法规定，所有被定重罪者自动且永久丧失投票权，但允许州长在当事人服刑完毕后逐一恢复——这是州长的专属宪法权力。
被问及媒体关于“自动恢复程序连已故者也一并恢复”的报道时，斯潘伯格没有否认。她说：“我们当然在调查这种可能性，也注意到确实有不少案例看起来确实如此。”（“We're certainly looking into that possibility and recognizing that there has been a focus on a number of cases where that appears to be the case.”）
她解释，追踪丧失投票权者名单的数据库“未必”会记录当事人是否已经去世：“现实中的难题在于，各个数据库里都可能有这样的人——他们因为重罪被记录为丧失权利者，而这些数据库未必会同步他们已经去世的信息。”
斯潘伯格同时强调，即便已故者的投票权被恢复，也不等于他们完成了选民登记。她还提醒，替他人投票——无论对方在世还是已故——都是重罪。
此事由《华盛顿观察家报》率先报道。福克斯新闻随后报道，弗吉尼亚居民霍华德·“斯基普”·兰伯特（Howard "Skip" Lambert）在网上晒出一份由斯潘伯格签署的通知，以及一份告知收件人“投票权已恢复、请重新登记”的函件——问题是，收件人是他的女儿，已于两年前去世。兰伯特9月24日写道：“有意思的是，这封信赶在提前投票开始时寄到……可官方命令的落款日期却是7月1日。”
此事正值弗吉尼亚提前投票期间。该州11月3日举行大选，9月18日起已开始为期45天的现场提前投票。
斯潘伯格恢复投票权的做法与前任形成鲜明对比。前州长、共和党人格伦·扬金（Glenn Youngkin）四年任期内恢复的投票权不足一万例，且要求出狱的重罪犯逐一申请，而非政府自动办理。斯潘伯格上任后恢复了此前多位州长采用的“简化”自动恢复制度。她在7月的声明中说：“我很自豪——在顶住前任剥夺弗吉尼亚人基本权利的努力之后，我们已经为6.6万多名服完刑的弗吉尼亚人恢复了权利。”（"I'm proud that — after contending with my predecessor's efforts to deny Virginians their fundamental rights — we have restored the rights of more than 66,000 Virginians who have served their time."）
Virginia governor admits deceased people may have been included in felon voting-rights restoration, vows review
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger told reporters Friday that her administration is "looking into" whether the voting rights of deceased individuals were restored when the state reinstated voting rights for Virginians with prior felony convictions.
In July, Spanberger announced her office had restored voting rights for 66,085 previous felons since she took office. Virginia's constitution automatically and permanently strips voting rights from convicted felons, but gives the sitting governor the sole power to restore them individually after a person completes their prison sentence.
Asked about reports that the automatic process restored rights even for people who had died, Spanberger did not deny them. "We're certainly looking into that possibility and recognizing that there has been a focus on a number of cases where that appears to be the case," she said.
She explained that databases tracking people who lack voting rights would "not necessarily" note whether an individual had passed away. "The reality of the challenge exists in all of the different databases where there might be individuals who have been listed as someone who had their rights taken because of their felony conviction, and those same databases would not necessarily have the reporting that that person had passed away," she said.
Spanberger emphasized that even if a dead person's voting rights were restored, it does not mean they are registered to vote. She added that it is a felony to cast a ballot on behalf of someone else, living or dead.
The story was first reported by the Washington Examiner. Fox News reported that Virginia resident Howard "Skip" Lambert posted online a notice signed by Spanberger and a notification telling the recipient her voting rights had been restored and she should re-register to vote — the problem being the recipient was his daughter, who had died two years earlier. Lambert wrote on Sept. 24: "Interesting this letter arrives as early-voting begins… yet the provided official order is dated July 1."
The controversy comes during Virginia's early-voting period. The state holds its general election Nov. 3, with 45 days of in-person early voting beginning Sept. 18.
Spanberger's approach marks a sharp contrast with her predecessor. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin restored the voting rights of fewer than 10,000 felons during his entire four-year term and required released felons to apply individually rather than having the administration automatically grant them. Spanberger restored the streamlined automatic system used by several governors before him. "I'm proud that — after contending with my predecessor's efforts to deny Virginians their fundamental rights — we have restored the rights of more than 66,000 Virginians who have served their time," she said in July.
图片来源：图：弗吉尼亚州议会大厦（里士满）。摄影：Farragutful，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
