Virginia New Majority

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Should we all have affordable healthcare? Should all citizens be able to vote?

Of course we should.

But unfortunately not everybody agrees.

The right to vote and the right to healthcare as we age are at the heart of who we are, how we live, and how we relate to one another. People of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds have come to count on these dependable rights to stay free, healthy, and safe. But these two pillars of Virginian democracy are under attack by many Virginia lawmakers. In fact, they’ve been under attack for years. But this time we’re ready to protect and fulfill the promise of democracy in Virginia.

Together, we can ensure that voting remains both revered and commonplace, and we can fulfill the promise that voting must not be an exclusive institution. Together, we can provide care for all of us and make sure seniors age with dignity. We can meet the promise of democracy in Virginia.

That’s why we’re launching our Common Promise campaign.

The Common Promise campaign is working to ensure that seniors have access to the care they have earned, families have the care they need, and we all get the vote we’re guaranteed. Virginia New Majority invites you to help fulfill our shared Common Promise.

Join the Common Promise campaign today.

Together, we can meet the promise of democracy in Virginia.
Together, we promise.

For more information about how changes to medicaid and medicare will impact you, click here.

Click below to download our Campaign Summary and to read more about how we plan to fulfill our Common Promise in Virginia.

The Laws

Our 2013 Legislative Priorities

Full Voting Rights Restoration
Virginia is one of only four states (VA, FL, KY, and WY) to strip formerly incarcerated people convicted of felonies of their right to vote. Over 450,000 Virginians can’t vote because Virginia gives a life sentence of disenfranchisement to its formerly incarcerated residents, even after they’ve served a court’s prescribed punishment. As a result, 1 in 5 African-Americans in Virginia can’t vote, and twice as many Latinos are disenfranchised compared to Whites. Felon disfranchisement is a racially discriminatory policy leftover from the Jim Crow Era – literacy tests, polls taxes, and felon disfranchisement laws were adopted to prevent African Americans from voting. The first two have been barred by federal law, and nearly every state has repealed its felon disfranchisement law. Let’s leave sentencing to the courts, and allow formerly incarcerated people to integrate into our most basic democratic institution.

True Absentee Voting
A majority of states across the nation have true absentee voting, also called no-fault absentee voting. Every effort should be made to avoid making it harder for Virginians to cast a ballot. To increase and encourage political participation, Virginia should adopt no-fault absentee voting, meaning that there is no excuse needed in order to be granted an absentee ballot, as it has proven to increase voter participation. True absentee voting also provides more time for voters to study the candidates and issues more closely and make informed choices. Without true absentee voting, working families are punished for having long working hours and long commutes. Eligible voters should be able to vote, whether or not they are free on one particular Tuesday every year.

Student Voter Registration
Since 2004, every public school in Virginia has been required to celebrate Constitution Day on September 17th, to instill in students the living history of the US constitution and the values held within it. Virginia should prepare students to take democracy seriously and carry out their responsibility to vote. During the week in which Constitution Day falls, Virginia’s schools should offer eligible students the opportunity to register to vote during the school day. Eligible students across the Commonwealth should have the opportunity to celebrate Constitution Day by not just learning about our history, but by preparing to fulfill their responsibility to participate in modern day Virginian Democracy and by registering to vote.

Affordable Healthcare for All Virginians
The Affordable Care Act allows Virginia to provide healthcare for 425,000 more people than are currently insured by expanding the Medicaid program. If Virginia’s governor doesn’t take advantage of this increased coverage, he will deny care to under-insured and uninsured Virginians, while sending all Virginians' hard-earned tax dollars to fund similar programs in other states. The Governor and the legislature should take advantage of the Affordable Care Act and utilize federal funds to provide health care for so many Virginians.

Restore Homecare for Low-Income Seniors
In 2012 the legislature made 3,068 low-income seniors ineligible for receiving home and community-based care, forcing these seniors to leave their families and homes to live in institutions and nursing homes.  These cuts will actually cost Virginia’s taxpayers more, as institution-based care is significantly more expensive than home-based healthcare. In order for seniors and people with disabilities to live independently at home and in their communities, they need a quality long-term care workforce where providers earn a living wage, and have access to their own healthcare and to sick days. The legislature should restore affordable homecare for these 3,068 low-income seniors immediately.

Study Expanding Cost-Effective Home and Community-Based Care for Seniors and People With Disabilities
Virginia has the opportunity to participate in new federal programs that allow low-income seniors and people with disabilities to receive in-homecare. These programs increase Medicaid funding of homecare to ensure that seniors age with dignity at home with their loved ones, and that people with disabilities don’t have to leave their families to get the care they need. Virginia should study how the Balancing Incentive Payments Program (BIPP), the Community First Choice Option (CFCO), and other similar programs can increase the percentage of Medicaid funds being used to provide homecare, and help Virginian families stay healthy and together.

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