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Mark Sickles
Delegate | Franconia, VA

Delegate Mark Sickles Championed Constitutional Amendment to Enshrine Marriage Equality

Idea Category: Democracy, Marriage Equality, Voting Rights

Virginia: Delegate Mark Sickles championed legislation to amend the Virginia Constitution to repeal a provision that defines marriage as a union between a woman and a man and, instead, enshrine marriage as a “fundamental right inherent in the liberty of persons.” Also advancing is a proposal from Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker to amend the Virginia Constitution to automatically restore the voting rights to felons who have served their sentence. Currently, voting rights must be manually reinstated by the governor. Both bills passed committee and will proceed to the House floor, with the marriage equality bill receiving bipartisan support.