Virginia Lawmaker Calls for Investigation After Dog Receives Voting Rights Restoration

A lawmaker from Southside Virginia is pushing for an inquiry after a constituent unexpectedly received a rights-restoration certificate for his dog, Biscuit, a beagle-hound mix from Goochland County that passed away about five years ago.

This incident brings to light echoes of a previous controversy known as the “Betty No Last Name” situation in Chesapeake, where a supposed convict without a surname had their rights restored. It raises new concerns regarding the vetting process employed by the governor, particularly as voters are about to decide on a ballot measure that would automate the restoration of voting rights for felons, a move supported by Richmond Democrats.

Delegate Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, who received the letter from the pet owner, has now called for a thorough investigation into how Governor Abigail Spanberger could have possibly restored voting and jury service rights to a deceased animal.

“This isn’t really about whether individuals who’ve served their sentences should get a second chance. It’s more about whether the Commonwealth is properly reviewing such actions,” Garrett commented.

“Biscuit was a dog. Biscuit has been gone for five years. Yet here we have an official document, with the governor’s signature, stating that her criminal case was reviewed and her rights restored. Virginians deserve to know how this happened,” he continued.

The owner of Biscuit, who chose to remain anonymous to avoid political repercussions, confirmed the authenticity of the certificate and described Biscuit as “a good dog who is greatly missed.” The owner added, “As far as I’m aware, she was never convicted of a felony, and she didn’t care about voting.”

Attempts by the media to reach Spanberger for comment ended without a response by the time of publication. The owner mentioned that Biscuit never faced any legal troubles or had any interactions with authorities that could have put her on the voting rolls, and, while a sibling is currently incarcerated, it seemed irrelevant since the restoration effort is aimed only at released former convicts.

In July, the Spanberger administration announced that Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon-King would be taking steps to actively identify and confirm the eligibility of Virginians who lost their rights, as Garrett pointed out.

Spanberger later indicated that the number of individuals who have had their rights restored had risen from an initial count of 66,000 to 100,000 since she took office in January.

Garrett emphasized that this situation necessitates an immediate independent audit regarding the procedures followed by Spanberger’s administration in these restoration cases. He is also calling for transparency about how “Biscuit Rigsby” ended up being labeled a convicted felon, along with what the review process entailed.

“We need to know how many certificates have been incorrectly issued to deceased, nonexistent, or duplicate individuals and ensure that relevant data is preserved immediately,” he stated.

Garrett insists that his inquiries are not political, and that anyone who advocates for the restoration of voting rights for former felons should be equally disturbed by the situation with Biscuit.

As Virginians prepare for the vote on making voting rights restoration automatic for released individuals, Garrett reiterates the need for clarity on how such discrepancies, like that of a long-deceased dog, could occur in the system.