Governor Abigail Spanberger did more than just welcome dozens of new American citizens at a naturalization ceremony in Richmond Thursday — she also encouraged them to vote. And the League of Women Voters was on site to make sure they get the chance.
Governor Abigail Spanberger said some of the best parts of being an American include checking on your neighbors, free refills and, "...reminding your friends to register to vote and then reminding them to vote.”
She gave that reminder to more than 80 new citizens at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The governor also said those gaining citizenship were doing so as the country was facing an "array of challenges."
"The world needs us to lead," she said. "And while it may feel like a difficult and challenging time, it is not unique in our history. What has made us special is we, year after year, have had new Americans folding into our country, standing with the ones who came here earlier, tackling problems, innovating and breathing new vibrancy and new life into our nation," Spanberger said.
Among those who took her electoral advice to heart and registered to vote was new citizen Leticia Santos, a former Brazilian national.
“That is why I got citizenship,” Santos said when asked if she was excited vote after getting her registration paperwork.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan group that encourages democratic participation, was on site to register folks like Santos. And Thursday, they registered 22 new voters.
Mary Crutchfield is with the Richmond chapter of the organization, and she said they’ve been coming out to naturalization ceremonies to register new voters for about five years. Thursday’s count was in the middle of previous registration events, with one ceremony netting 13 new voters, and previous ones getting over 30.
“It's especially exciting when it's so close to an election like this one because the November 3rd election is just a little more than a month away,” Crutchfield said of what made Thursday's registrations unique.
If you’re a new —or long-time — U.S. citizen, you can check your voter registration status through Virginia Elect here.
