“This language is a relic of Virginia’s 1902 ‘Jim Crow’ constitution, which included a laundry list of those not deemed fit to vote, a list that included ‘idiots,’ ‘insane persons’ and ‘paupers’ as well as those who had participated in duel,” Simon said in a prepared statement. “Call me politically correct if you will, but I think Virginia has come a long way since then.”

McAuliffe has called the state’s felon voting ban unusually restrictive, saying Virginia is one of just four states that take away felons’ political rights for life unless a rights restoration request is made to the governor.

Without any accompanying legislation, Simon’s proposed amendment, co-patroned by six other Democrats, would put Virginia at the opposite end of the spectrum, joining only Maine and Vermont among states that have no restrictions on felon voting.

“What else do Maine and Vermont have in common? According to census data, they have the smallest nonwhite populations, ranked 49th and 50th. So they never needed to get creative about denying people of color the right to vote. There simply weren’t enough of them to matter,” Simon said.