A new, computerized program begun in August 1999 has helped to speed up the process and make it more efficient, said Brian Matt, spokesman for the board. In Virginia, felons lose their right to vote for the rest of their lives unless the governor restores the right. A national study two years ago said that one out of every four black men in Virginia, an estimated 110,000, has lost the right to vote because of felony convictions.
Felonies are serious crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, assault and many drug offenses.
Matt said computer tapes are received monthly from the state police, for felons, and the Department of Health, for the deceased. The data from the tapes are matched against the 4.1 million registered voters in the state. Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, said the state police have records on about 275,000 felons in the state. Its annual operating cost was not known, he said. Under the program, each registrar is responsible for checking the board's computerized central file to determine whether a registered voter should be removed.