Virginia has executed more people for a longer period of time than any other state. But, that's about to change.
Polling shows most Virginia voters support abolishing the death penalty. And now that Democrats are in control of the House and Senate, most lawmakers do too. On Wednesday, the state Senate approved a bill ending capital punishment in Virginia, and Friday the House is likely to take similar action.
Senator Scott Surovell is a Democrat from Fairfax County who introduced the bill in the Senate, and he says it's not right that people who oppose the death penalty cannot serve on the jury of a capital murder case.
"Today when over half of our state and most Americans are opposed to this I don't know how you can get a fair jury trial on that issue anymore," he says. "It's basically become impossible because public opinion has changed, it’s changed a lot in the last 10 years."
A Wason Cener poll from earlier this week shows 56% of Virginia voters support repealing the death penalty. Republican Senator John Cosgrove of Chesapeake says that number might be different if the question were worded differently.
"But if you also said do you support the death penalty for somebody that beat two children, a 4-year-old and a 9 year-old over several days to death in their own home; should they get the death penalty," Cosgrove asks. "I bet you'd get a different statistic."
Governor Ralph Northam has already said he'll sign a bill ending capital punishment if it gets to his desk, so Virginia may be on the verge of being the first state in the south to abolish the death penalty.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
