# The Virginia pardon and voting rights > **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou. > > Cite as: "The Virginia pardon and voting rights," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/virginia-pardon-and-voting-rights/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia. *John Kiriakou's account of applying to have his voting rights restored in Virginia after leaving prison and receiving, unasked, a full state pardon delivered by courier from the office of Governor Terry McAuliffe, followed by a courthouse clerk and a state employee who between them got him registered in time to vote.* - **State:** Virginia - **Governor:** Terry McAuliffe - **What Kiriakou applied for:** Restoration of voting rights - **What arrived:** A gubernatorial pardon he had not applied for, by courier - **Rights restored:** Voting rights and state gun rights (not federal gun rights) - **Kiriakou's verdict:** 'This is exactly how the system should be. This, not the way the feds run it' Among the things John Kiriakou says he did immediately on release from prison was apply to have his voting rights restored. He takes civil liberties, he says, very very seriously. [1] ## An unglamorous application The process, by his description, is not a sexy one: you go to the website of the secretary of state of your state, in his case Virginia, and fill out a form, and it says that restoration takes about two weeks. Three weeks later he had heard nothing, so he telephoned the secretary of state's toll-free number, gave his case number, and was told by the man who answered that it was in process, no problems, and would take about another week. Kiriakou noted the small pause in which the voice on the line seemed to recognise who he was. [1] [2] ## The envelope A week later, at seven in the morning, his doorbell rang while he was getting the children ready for school. A courier handed him a large cardboard envelope from the secretary of state's office. Inside was not a restoration notice but a pardon decree: the governor of Virginia had pardoned him. He had never applied for a pardon. Apparently, Kiriakou says, the governor had followed his case and thought he had got screwed, and simply took it upon himself to do it, which Kiriakou called the loveliest gesture. He added that he wished Terry McAuliffe would run for president, and that he would vote for him for that kindness alone. [3] The certificate came with a gold seal and the governor's signature; it reinstated his voting rights and his state gun rights, though not his federal gun rights, which is why he continues to seek [a presidential pardon](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/kiriakou-pardon-request). [4] ## The last day to register The sequel is the part Kiriakou dwells on. He went down to the courthouse on a Friday, the last day to register to vote, and filled out the form. Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Yes. Have you had your voting rights reinstated? Yes. A woman called him discreetly around to the side, said she had noticed the two boxes, and told him that the man who handles cases like his was on vacation that day. Kiriakou said that today was the last day and he wanted to vote on Tuesday. She told him not to worry about it; they would take care of it. [5] On the Monday, the day before the election, his doorbell rang again: the man from the courthouse had come to his house with a voter registration card, and congratulated him. [6] Kiriakou's comment on the episode is the point of telling it. This, he said, is exactly how the system should be, this, not the way the feds run it. He described himself as forever grateful to what he called nameless bureaucrats and to McAuliffe. [6] He has confirmed elsewhere that his civil rights were restored and that he is allowed to vote. [7] ## See also - [Kiriakou pardon request](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/kiriakou-pardon-request) - [Supervised Release Travel Restrictions](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/supervised-release-travel-restrictions) - [Bureau of Prisons](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/bureau-of-prisons) - [FCI Loretto](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/fci-loretto) - [Federal plea coercion](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/federal-plea-coercion) - [Giuliani Pardon Solicitation](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/giuliani-pardon-solicitation) ## Sources 1. Ep.82 — Choosing Truth Over Career (2025-09-06), at 20:02. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzDSowz83y8&t=1202s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-06-ep-82-choosing-truth-over-career/ 2. Ep.82 — Choosing Truth Over Career (2025-09-06), at 20:33. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzDSowz83y8&t=1233s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-06-ep-82-choosing-truth-over-career/ 3. Ep.82 — Choosing Truth Over Career (2025-09-06), at 21:04. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzDSowz83y8&t=1264s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-06-ep-82-choosing-truth-over-career/ 4. Ep.82 — Choosing Truth Over Career (2025-09-06), at 21:35. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzDSowz83y8&t=1295s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-06-ep-82-choosing-truth-over-career/ 5. Ep.82 — Choosing Truth Over Career (2025-09-06), at 22:07. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzDSowz83y8&t=1327s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-06-ep-82-choosing-truth-over-career/ 6. Ep.82 — Choosing Truth Over Career (2025-09-06), at 22:40. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzDSowz83y8&t=1360s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-06-ep-82-choosing-truth-over-career/ 7. The CIA spy who blew the whistle on torture (2023-03-20), at 20:14. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBCSSQ0bpBA&t=1214s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2023-03-20-trt-world-the-innerview-the-cia-spy-who-blew-the-whistle-on-torture/ --- From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/virginia-pardon-and-voting-rights/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt