On Tuesday, a task force commissioned by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli found no legal basis for either the governor or the general assembly to automatically restore the voting rights of former convicted felons, but the governor found a way to do it anyway, Colorlines’ Brentin Mock reports.

Gov. Bob McDonnell announced that he would lift the permanent voting ban for those who have nonviolent felonies on their records on a case-by-case basis, sending a letter to each person he can find informing them that their rights have been restored.

Before this, a person with a nonviolent felony had a two-year wait after release from prison to begin an application process that might lead to their rights restored within 60 days of submitting that application. Those with violent or drug felony convictions will still have to wait five years to apply for rights restoration.

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