Story highlights Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe uses an executive order to restore voting rights to more than 200,000 convicted felons

"I believe it is time to cast off Virginia's troubled history of injustice," McAuliffe says

Washington (CNN) Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe restored voting rights to more than 200,000 Virginia convicted felons Friday.

"I believe it is time to cast off Virginia's troubled history of injustice and embrace a honest clean process of restoring the right of the these men and women," he said at a news conference on the Capitol steps in Richmond. "And so today, I will sign an order restoring the civil and voting rights of every single individual who has completed his or her sentence as of this day."

The executive order allows those who have served their time and completed their supervised probation or parole the right to vote, the right to run for office and the right to serve on a jury.

The governor said the move will bring greater equality among all Virginians.

"I believe our commonwealth can not achieve its full potential until all men and women act on this fundamental right and participate in the decisions about their own children's education, about their taxes and every aspect of their lives," he said. "Unfortunately, Virginia has had a long and sad history of effectively suppressing the voices of many thousands of men and women at the ballot box."

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