May 4, 2016
 
 
Delegate Ken Plum's 
Virginia E-News

Congratulations to Rescue Reston on being awarded
the Reston Citizens Association 2015 Citizens of the Year Award and thank you to all for your important work! 
 

Commentary

Restoring Rights                      
Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum

Governor Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order recently restoring civil rights of voting, serving on a jury, running for office, or being a notary public for persons who had been convicted of any and all felonies in the past but who have completed the terms of incarceration and who have completed any period of supervised release of probation and parole. The restoration of civil rights after completing a sentence has been automatic in most states and routine in those that have had an application process. Virginia required an application before the Governor's order, but the waiting list for acting on applications was notoriously long until Governor McAuliffe came into office. His executive order will cover more than 200,000 people.

Most including myself have applauded the Governor's action. As he described it, "it's the right thing to do."  Other have accused him of politics. Actually, I believe the laws in Virginia that denied the right to vote to people who had served their sentences were political, and what the Governor did was to take some of the politics out of registering to vote. A review of history will explain what I mean.

Denying civil rights to persons who had been convicted and served their sentences was part of an effort during the early part of the twentieth century to limit the electorate in the state to white men who supported the political establishment. Jim Crow laws that were primarily aimed at black people required voters to write on a blank sheet of paper information that was required in the state constitution and to answer any question posed by election officials. Additionally, in order to vote a person must have paid the capitation tax of $1.50 every year for three years in a row at least six months before the election. Denial of civil rights of those who had been in prison was just another attempt to disenfranchise more voters. The Constitution of 1902 that contained all the Jim Crow provisions was never ratified by a vote of the people as all previous and all since constitutions have been.  It was simply declared to be in effect by the political establishment. These deliberate actions to keep black people from voting were so successful that by the end of 1902 there were only 21,000 of an estimated 147,000 blacks of voting age registered, and the imposition of the poll tax cut that number in half. Denial of voting rights to black people was notorious throughout the South, but no state was more successful at it than Virginia.

Many of us have worked hard in the legislature and in the courts to eliminate artificial barriers to voting.  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was extremely important, but Congress repealed that law. Other techniques to limit voting by requiring specific identification, limiting hours of registration and voting, and restricting the use of absentee ballots are all modern day versions of what happened in the past.   
I thank Governor McAuliffe for his courage in eliminating one more vestige of the politics of limiting voting. Now we need to work on the others.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth's office provides a searchable database for individuals to check to see if their rights have been restored.
 
Virginia Report on Comcast Channel 28
  
Tune in to Ken's weekly television program, Virginia Report, on Reston Comcast Channel 28 for public service programming (Verizon Channel 1981). Ken interviews state and local leaders who are making news by making a difference.  

TONIGHT- Wednesday, May 4 at 10:30 p.m., Delegate Plum talks with Terry Angelotti of the Centreville Immigration Forum
    
Tuesday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, May 11 at 10:30 p.m., Delegate Plum talks with Justin Fairfax of the Virginia Coalition for Racial Diversity in the Justice System

Virginia Report is also available for viewing online at
www.youtube.com/watch. Previous shows can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/album/1650266. 


Bulletin Board
 
A special two night event examining the nation's rising gun violence: Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10 at 9:00 p.m. 

Two Films. Two Nights. Two Conversations. 
Check your local PBS station for air times or watch online beginning Monday, May 9 at 9/8 CT. 

Details are at Armed in America

____________________ 

Bike to Work Day

 
On Friday May 20, 2016 Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association invite you to celebrate bicycling as a clean, fun, and healthy way to get to work. Attend one of 83 pit stops in D.C., MD, and VA to receive refreshments, and be entered into a raffle for bicycles being given away.

Register and learn more at Bike to Work Day 2016.

____________________

Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project 
Public Hearings

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in partnership with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), will host hearings to present the complete set of draft Request for Proposals (RFP) documents for the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project and provide an opportunity for public comment on the draft comprehensive agreement. In addition, VDOT will provide information and receive comments from the public regarding its intent to change the existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) designation on Interstate 66 from HOV-2 to HOT-3 (High Occupancy Toll or Express Lanes, where vehicles with three or more occupants travel for free) when the Express Lanes on I-66 Outside the Beltway open to traffic in late 2020.

The public will be invited to submit oral and/or written comments at the hearings. Comments must be postmarked, emailed or delivered to VDOT by June 10, 2016 to be included in the public hearing record. 

May 23 (6:30-8:30 p.m.)
Oakton High School Cafeteria
2900 Sutton Road
Vienna, VA 22181

May 24 (6:30-8:30 p.m.)
VDOT Northern Virginia District Office
4975 Alliance Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030

More details are at Public Hearings.
____________________

allAbilities Celebration Connection

The Spring edition of allAbilities Celebration Connection is now available. Visit Spring 2016 to download a copy.


Calendar of Events   

Tomorrow: Thursday, May 5, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) Open House and Public Hearing on "Transform 66 Inside the Beltway Multimodal Components." The Open House will begin at 6:00 p.m. The Public Hearing will start at 7:00 p.m. In the first floor conference room at NVTC headquarters, 2300 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington. More details are at I-66 Multimodal. 
 
Saturday, May 7, 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Social Justice Yard Sale at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fairfax (UUCF), 2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton. Volunteer help is needed for set up prior to the sale on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Gently used donations may be dropped off at UUCF starting May 4. Proceeds from the sale will be shared with the Shepherd's Center of Oakton-Vienna (SCOV), the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mosaic Harmony and Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Circle. Great opportunity to help your community. For more information call SCOV at 703-281-0538.  

Saturday, May 7, 8:00 a.m. to noon, Reston Farmer's Market opens for its 2016 Season. Learn more at RFM.  

Saturday, May 7, 9:00 a.m. to noon, Reston Association Habitat Heroes Invasive Plant Removal Day, Glade Pool Parking Lot, 11550 Glade Drive, Reston. Help restore the Old Trail Drive natural area and remove the garlic mustard that has invaded the Snakeden Stream watershed. Sign up at Invasive Plant Removal Day.

Saturday, May 7, 9:00 a.m., Boofie O'Gorman Team's Shred-IT Event. Learn more on their Facebook page.

Saturday, May 7, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Jumble Sale at the Reston Unitarian Church (UUCR) at 1625 Wiehle Avenue, Reston. "Jumble Sale" is a British term meaning a used goods sale. Shop for gently-used items such as furniture, electronics, kitchen items, small appliances, jewelry, clothing, shoes, toys, books, knick-knacks, craft supplies, vinyl records, sports equipment, musical instruments, and tools. Donations for the sale will be received 5:30 to 9 p.m. today through Friday, May 6. All proceeds benefit the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston.

Saturday, May 7, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m., At the Hop: Music of the Fabulous 50s!, Reston Community Center, Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. The Reston Chorale steps back in time to the days of sock hops, soda fountains and rock and roll. (Poodle skirts and ducktails optional.) Tickets now available online at www.RestonChorale.org or at the RCC Box Office. Tickets: $20/Seniors, $25/Adults, Free for Active Military (with ID) and Youth 17 and under (with adult or senior ticket holder.) 

Saturday, May 7, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., Spring Festival, Walker Nature Center, 11450 Glade Drive, Reston. Rain or shine. Free event. All ages welcome. Volunteers needed. Contact 703-476-9869 or naturecenter@reston.org for more information or to sign up to volunteer. See reston.org for event updates.

Saturday, May 7, 7:00 p.m., Free Screening of Under the Gun, original documentary on preventing gun violence narrated by Katie Couric, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Road in Oakton. Register here. 

Tuesday, May 10, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Community Meeting on the Future of Tall Oaks Village Center, at Tall Oaks, 12040 North Shore Drive, Reston. For additional information, contact Goldie Harrison at the Hunter Mill District Office, 703-478-0283.  

Wednesday, May 11, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Creative Aging Fair, at Reston Community Center, Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. Free, but registration is required. Register and learn more at Creative Aging Fair. 

May 13-15, Camp Wellstone Virginia 2016. Camp Wellstone is open to anyone interested in gaining practical skills in progressive political action. Details are at Camp Wellstone.

Saturday, May 14, 8:30 a.m. to noon, 95 Family Community Yard Sale, One Reston Crescent, 12000 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston. Rain date is May 15. More is at Community Yard Sale.

Sunday, May 15, noon to 5:00 p.m., Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Showcase, at Ash Lawn-Highland: the Home of James Monroe, 2050 James Monroe Parkway, Charlottesville. The Showcase celebrates Virginia's Master Artists and their Apprentices with blacksmiths, costume makers and many more of Virginia's finest craftspeople. Visit Virginiafolklife.org or call 434-924-3296 for more information. 

Wednesday, May 18, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., Movie Night at GreenFare: 'PLANEAT' over dinner, GreenFare, 408 Elden Street,
Herndon. Meet others in the community who share your interest in healthy eating to transform lives and regenerate the environment while enjoying a delicious whole plant meal prepared with local, seasonal, organic ingredients. Purchase tickets here. 
 
Saturday, May 21, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., TedxHerndon, at Herndon Middle School, 901 Locust Street, Herndon. Learn more at TedxHerndon. 

May 21 to 22, 10:00 a.m., 2016 Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, at Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE). Details are at Fine Arts Festival.

May 21 to 22, 1:00 to 7:00 p.m., Relay For Life of Reston, at South Lakes High School. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement symbolizes hope and our shared goal to end a disease that threatens the lives of so many people we love. More information is at Relay for Life.  

Saturday, June 4, 9:00 a.m. to noon, Clean the Bay Day. Clean the Bay Day is a true Virginian tradition and an annual opportunity for the whole family, office, civic or church group--anyone--to give back to local waterways. Learn more about the event at Clean the Bay Day. Register for the Reston event here. 
 

36th District 

Reston, Virginia
 
Learn more at namivirginia.org
In This Issue
"Virginia Report"
Check Your Calendar
Commentary..."Restoring Rights"

Click here to view Delegate Plum's comments on education during the reconvened session.

Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News


Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News is authorized by Kenneth R. Plum
 and paid for by Friends of Delegate Ken Plum.