A Virginia certificate restoring civil rights to a person identified as “Betty No Last Name” has drawn questions about how Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration reviews cases as it restores rights to tens of thousands of people with felony convictions.
The document, shared by attorney Tim Anderson, lists the name four times and bears the signatures of Spanberger and Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon King. Dated September 4, 2026, it states that the executive branch reviewed “the particulars of the individual’s case” before restoring the recipient’s rights to vote, hold public office, serve on a jury and become a notary public. Firearms-related rights remain restricted.
In response to my post earlier today where I posted the restoration order of Betty No Last Name – a few responses
1. The document is real. It was mailed to the recipient “Betty No Last Name” at a physical address in Virginia and this is the exact verbatim copy.
2. The… pic.twitter.com/u2WCoXgdZG
— Tim Anderson (@AssocAnderson) October 29, 2026
Anderson questioned whether the certificate had been issued to a nonexistent person and raised the possibility of fraud. He cited Virginia Code § 18.2-472, which addresses fraudulent false entries in official records by public officers and provides for removal from office and disqualification from future service following a conviction. The unusual name on the certificate, however, does not by itself establish that the recipient is fictitious or that an official knowingly falsified a record.
Former Attorney General Jason Miyares also shared the post, questioning whether the administration was conducting the individualized reviews it has described. The certificate covers convictions for crimes committed before August 27, 2026, and makes the restoration effective September 4.
The questions come amid a broad restoration effort launched after Spanberger took office in January. Her administration announced in July that more than 66,000 Virginians had regained their civil rights, with subsequent statements putting the total near or above 100,000.
The administration has processed applications and used Department of Corrections and State Police records to identify additional people eligible for restoration. The approach expands on the more restrictive process used by Spanberger’s predecessor in a state where people convicted of felonies have generally depended on gubernatorial action to regain their voting rights.
Separate reports of restoration notices sent concerning people who had died have raised additional questions about the records used in the process. Spanberger has said her administration is reviewing those cases and has attributed some of the discrepancies to delays in updating death information across state databases. She has also emphasized that restoring someone’s rights does not automatically register that person to vote.
Critics say the “Betty No Last Name” certificate raises doubts about the care taken in reviewing individual cases as the administration processes a large volume of restorations. The supplied account identifies no public response from the administration addressing that particular document.
The Virginia controversy comes amid a separate dispute over voter eligibility in California, where the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday dismissed a Justice Department appeal seeking to set aside mail ballots from voters federal officials identified as likely noncitizens until their citizenship could be verified. The 2-1 decision left California’s ballot processing undisturbed by the appeals court, with the majority concluding that prosecutors had not given the district court adequate time to consider their request. Judge Patrick Bumatay dissented. The ruling addressed the court’s jurisdiction and did not establish that the disputed ballots were illegal.
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