The Ballot Brief
Virginia ballot measures · 2026

Question 3 Fundamental right to vote and automatic restoration after incarceration

Ballot measures › Virginia 2026 › Question 3

We use AI to research and write election information. Errors are possible. Verify important details with official sources.

Constitutional amendment (legislative referral)On the November 3, 2026 ballot
Reported, not official

Passed, VPM reported.

VPM, “Virginia voters sign off on all 3 constitutional amendments”, November 3, 2026. Unofficial until certified.We do not call questions. The State Board of Elections certifies the result on December 7.

Virginia official results
Nov 3 Votes were cast and countedBy Nov 13 Counties double-check their countsDec 7 Virginia makes it officialHow results become official
Nov 3: Votes were cast and counted. Election night totals are a first count, not the final one.
By Nov 13: Counties double-check their counts. The county reviews mail ballots, provisional ballots and any recount, then sends official totals to the state.
Dec 7: Virginia makes it official. The State Board of Elections certifies the result. The result appears on this page that day.

Virginia Question 3 (Fundamental right to vote and automatic restoration after incarceration) is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Ballot question as certified by the Department of Elections: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting?

As of November 3, 2026, VPM reported that Virginia Question 3 passed; the result is unofficial until Virginia certifies it on December 7.

What a yes or no vote means

A YES vote Supports a constitutional right to vote, automatic restoration of voting rights on release from incarceration, and a capacity-to-vote standard in place of the mental-incompetence bar.
A NO vote Keeps the current rules, under which the governor restores voting rights after a felony conviction.
Read the certified ballot question

Ballot question as certified by the Department of Elections: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting?

Verify with the state: official full text and details →.

See everything else on your Virginia ballot

About this measure

How it reached the ballot

Question 3 reached the Virginia ballot as a constitutional amendment (legislative referral).

About this page

Wording above follows the certified ballot language; The Ballot Brief does not take positions on measures.

Other Virginia statewide measures in 2026

Question 1: Right to reproductive freedomQuestion 2: Remove the same-sex marriage ban and protect the right to marry

All Virginia 2026 ballot measures · Virginia candidates