Virginia Delegate Demands Investigation After Governor Restores Voting Rights to Deceased Dog

A Virginia delegate is calling for an investigation into Governor Abigail Spanberger's office after a constituent received a rights-restoration certificate for his dog, a deceased animal named Biscuit. The discovery has intensified scrutiny over the governor's process for restoring voting and jury service rights to former felons.

Del. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, stated that the official document, bearing the governor's signature, indicated that Biscuit's criminal case was reviewed and her rights were restored. Biscuit, a beagle-hound mix, reportedly died five years ago. Garrett expressed concern that the Commonwealth is not exercising its constitutional powers with adequate review.

"This is not a question of whether people who have served their sentences deserve a second chance. This is a question of whether the Commonwealth is exercising one of the Governor’s constitutional powers with even the most basic level of review," Garrett said in a statement. "Biscuit was a dog. Biscuit has been dead for five years. Yet an official document bearing the governor’s signature says the executive reviewed the particulars of Biscuit’s criminal case and determined her rights should be restored. Virginians deserve an explanation for how that is possible."

Biscuit's owner, who remained anonymous to avoid political repercussions, confirmed the authenticity of the letter to Fox News Digital. The owner stated that to their knowledge, the dog was never convicted of a felony and had no interest in voting.

A spokesperson for Governor Spanberger issued a statement asserting that the rights of a dog were not restored. The spokesperson explained that the restored rights were associated with a person who has a date of birth and Social Security number, but could not disclose further individual information due to privacy restrictions.

Garrett highlighted that the Spanberger administration announced in July that the Secretary of the Commonwealth would be "proactively identifying Virginians who had lost their rights, confirming that those individuals were eligible, and restoring their rights." By August, the administration reported that 100,000 individuals had had their rights restored since Spanberger took office in January.

"The administration told Virginians these individuals were being identified and their eligibility confirmed," Garrett said, adding that an independent audit of the restoration process is necessary. He questioned what was actually reviewed, which databases were utilized, what safeguards were in place, and how many other erroneous restorations may have been issued if a deceased pet was processed as a convicted felon.

Garrett, an attorney when not serving in the legislature, called for the Commonwealth to conduct an immediate independent audit of all rights-restoration actions taken by Spanberger's office. He also requested the disclosure of the data that led to "Biscuit Rigsby" being identified as a convicted felon and clarification on what the governor's office defines as a review of case particulars. The investigation should also identify how many certificates were issued to deceased, nonexistent, or duplicate individuals, and ensure the preservation of relevant data.

Garrett stated that his questions are not partisan and urged those who support felon voting rights restoration to be concerned by Biscuit's case. He added in a social media video, "At what point does rank incompetence and malfeasance become criminal conduct?"

With Virginia voters set to decide on Election Day whether to make voting rights restoration automatic upon release from incarceration, Garrett emphasized the need for answers regarding the administration's current review process. He specifically raised concerns about how a dog that died five years prior was apparently included in the restoration process.