“Arlington resident Galen Baughman [Leading with Conviction™ 2015] was elated when [former Virginia Gov. Ralph] Northam reinstated his rights in 2021. Baughman had spent nine years in jail and prison after pleading guilty to nonviolent sexual misconduct involving offenses that occurred in 1997 and 2003, when he was 14 and 19.
“But when Baughman went to vote in the June primaries, he was told he’d been removed from the voter rolls — despite voting in several elections since his rights were restored. Baughman said he was initially uneasy about casting a provisional ballot. He recalled how Florida authorities arrested 20 people convicted of felonies who’d believed they were eligible to vote and attempted to in the 2020 election. He ultimately agreed to use a provisional ballot.
“The Arlington registrar’s office told Baughman he’d been taken off the voting rolls due to a new felony conviction on Aug. 4, 2022. Baughman pointed out that was the date of a hearing when he’d faced two probation violations; there had been no new felony conviction. But Baughman said the registrar, Gretchen Reinemeyer, had refused to reinstate him to the voter rolls. (The office did not respond to an email seeking comment.)
“Baughman took his case to court, where he said the matter was quickly resolved. In an order dated July 10, Arlington County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Lopez affirmed that the probation violations should not have resulted in Baughman’s removal from voter rolls and ordered the registrar to reinstate him.
“Still, Baughman remains frustrated that his provisional ballot was not counted and wary of the motives for his removal from the rolls.
“‘Everybody in our legal system knows that a technical probation violation is not a new offense,’ Baughman said. ‘And yet, somebody is counting them as a new offense. I can’t help to think that that’s deliberate.’”
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
We are preparing for our very special 10th anniversary gala in New York City on October 21st, and we would love for you to be there with us.
This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!
We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By purchasing a $50 streaming ticket, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”
Please plan now to join us in person or give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!
Mail that includes checks only:
JUSTLEADERSHIPUSA, INC
P.O. Box 23681
New York, NY 10087-3681
All other mail:
P.O. Box 1730, New York, NY 10037
347.454.2195
© 2024 JustLeadershipUSA. All Rights Reserved.
JustLeadershipUSA is a non-partisan organization. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed belong solely to the individual author or speaker, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the organization.