Virginia Governor Faces Probe Over Dog Voting Rights Certificate

Virginia's process for restoring voting rights to former felons is facing renewed scrutiny after a deceased dog and an individual identified without a surname appeared in official restoration documents. The cases emerged on October 30, 2026, prompting Republican lawmakers and legal figures to question the administration of Governor Abigail Spanberger ahead of a statewide ballot measure on automatic voting rights restoration.

The latest controversy involves Biscuit, a beagle-hound mix from Goochland County that died approximately five years ago. Del. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, received a restoration certificate bearing the dog's name from its former owner and is demanding an independent investigation into how the document was issued.

Biscuit's owner, who declined to disclose their identity because of potential political backlash, confirmed the document's authenticity to Fox News Digital. The owner described the animal as a beloved family pet.

"To my knowledge, she was never convicted of a felony, nor did she ever show any interest in voting," Biscuit's owner said.

The owner also told the outlet that Biscuit had never been sent to an animal shelter or had any other contact with Richmond that might explain her appearance in government records. Although the owner has a sibling currently incarcerated, the owner said that connection was irrelevant because the governor's restoration initiative concerns former inmates who have been released.

Garrett questioned the safeguards behind the administration's restoration process, emphasizing that the issue concerns the accuracy of official government decisions rather than opposition to restoring voting rights for eligible former prisoners.

"This is not a question of whether people who have served their sentences deserve a second chance. This is a question of whether the Commonwealth is exercising one of the Governor's constitutional powers with even the most basic level of review," Garrett said.

He also highlighted the contradiction between the certificate and the dog's history.

"Biscuit was a dog. Biscuit has been dead for five years. Yet an official document bearing the governor's signature says the executive reviewed the particulars of Biscuit's criminal case and determined her rights should be restored. Virginians deserve an explanation for how that is possible," Garrett said.

Garrett recalled that the administration announced in July that Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon-King would identify Virginians who had lost their rights, verify their eligibility, and restore those rights. In August, Spanberger announced that the number of people receiving restoration since she took office in January had increased from an initial 66,000 to 100,000.

Garrett said the scale of the initiative made an examination of its verification procedures necessary. He called for an independent audit, disclosure of the records associated with Biscuit Rigsby, and an explanation of what the administration considers an adequate review of individual cases.

He also requested an accounting of certificates issued to deceased individuals, nonexistent people, or duplicate records, alongside the preservation of relevant government data.

"At what point does rank incompetence and malfeasance become criminal conduct?" Garrett said in a video posted on social media.

Separately, another controversy involving a restoration certificate identified as Betty No Last Name has raised questions about errors in the administration's document preparation process. The document circulated on Facebook after former Delegate and attorney Tim Anderson shared it publicly.

Anderson told ABC13 that the document raised concerns about government records being issued to people who might not exist. During a visit to Lynchburg, Spanberger addressed the matter in response to questions from ABC13 reporter Allison Mullet.

The governor acknowledged responsibility for the document problem but said the individual behind the record had a verifiable identity.

"Thank you for asking this question. I'm happy to speak to it. So there is a very specific person who, in fact, does have a last name, and we have her Social Security number.

We know exactly who she is. And I will take full responsibility, though I'm not the one, obviously, creating the spreadsheets. This was a spreadsheet error when it went to the mail merge, when it went to the information out," Spanberger said.

She explained that the problem occurred when information from a spreadsheet was transferred into the system used to prepare and print restoration letters. The explanation distinguished the apparent documentation error from the underlying identity of the person whose rights were restored.

When asked about measures to prevent similar incidents, Spanberger confirmed that her administration was working to correct the problem.

"Yes. That is the short answer. And so, what we sent to the printers for the letters to go out, there was a spreadsheet problem with the mail merge, and we will be rectifying that," Spanberger said.

Anderson has continued calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the document. Meanwhile, Spanberger's office rejected the suggestion that Biscuit's voting rights had actually been restored, telling Fox News Digital that the record was associated with a person who had a date of birth and Social Security number.

"Of course we did not restore the rights of a dog. We cannot disclose this individual's information, but we can tell you that it is associated with a person with a date of birth and Social Security number," a Spanberger spokesperson said.

Fox News Digital sought additional clarification about the possible error but did not receive a further response. Garrett's demands for an independent review come as Virginia voters prepare to decide whether restoration of voting rights should become automatic for people released from incarceration.