2025 Virginia Constitutional Amendments

Understanding What’s on the Ballot and Why It Matters

This year, Virginians will vote on three proposed amendments to the state constitution. These amendments address personal healthcare decisions, the right to marry, and voting rights after incarceration. Below is a nonpartisan summary of each amendment, along with key information for talking to neighbors, friends, and your community.

What This Amendment Does

Protects the right to make personal decisions about reproductive healthcare, including abortion, birth control, prenatal care, and fertility treatments, without government interference.

Why It Matters:

  • Ensures that medical decisions remain private and personal.

  • Offers clarity and consistency in Virginia law on access to care.

  • Reflects the belief that individuals—not politicians—should make their own healthcare choices.

Suggested Vote: YES

Marriage Equality Amendment

What This Amendment Does:
Confirms that all Virginians have the right to marry regardless of sex, gender, or race. This amendment ensures that marriages between same-sex or interracial couples are legally recognized and protected in Virginia.

Why It Matters:

  • Guarantees equal treatment under the law for all families.

  • Provides long-term protection for existing and future marriages.

  • Reinforces the principle that marriage is a personal choice.

Suggested Vote: YES

Voting Rights Restoration Amendment

What This Amendment Does:
Automatically restores voting rights to individuals who have completed their felony sentence, removing the need for a separate application or approval from the governor.

Why It Matters:

  • Allows Virginians who have completed their sentence to rejoin civic life.

  • Removes bureaucratic barriers and promotes a more inclusive democracy.

  • Brings Virginia in line with many other states that restore voting rights after incarceration.

Suggested Vote: YES

How You Can Help

These amendments may not be getting much attention—but they matter to people in every part of Virginia. You can help by making sure others understand what these amendments are and how they affect our communities.

Tips for Conversations:

  • Be factual and respectful. Focus on what the amendments do and why they’re on the ballot.

  • Make it relatable. Talk about how these changes could affect friends, family, or neighbors.

  • Encourage participation. Many people simply don’t know what’s on the ballot—sharing information makes a difference.

Resources to Learn More

  1. Virginia Department of Elections
     📍 elections.virginia.gov
     ➡️ Official source for ballot language, voter registration, polling places, and deadlines.

  2. Vote411.org (League of Women Voters)
     📍 vote411.org
     ➡️ Get a personalized voter guide with plain-language summaries of each amendment.

  3. ACLU of Virginia
     📍 acluva.org
     ➡️ Learn more about reproductive freedom and voting rights restoration in Virginia.

  4. Campaign Legal Center
     📍 campaignlegal.org
     ➡️ Background on restoring voting rights after felony convictions and why it matters.

  5. Movement Advancement Project – Equality Maps
     📍 lgbtmap.org/equality-maps
     ➡️ Track marriage equality protections and why state-level amendments are important.