A Southside Virginia lawmaker is demanding an investigation after a constituent received an official rights-restoration certificate for his dog, Biscuit, a beagle-hound mix from Goochland County that died about five years ago.
The discovery follows the “Betty No Last Name” controversy in Chesapeake â where a purported convict lacking a surname had “her” rights restored â and raises fresh questions about the governor’s vetting process just days before voters decide whether to make felons’ voting-rights restoration automatic via an Election Day ballot measure supported by Richmond Democrats.
Del. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham â who received the letter from the constituent who owned the pet â is now calling for an investigation into how Gov. Abigail Spanberger could have restored voting and jury-service rights to a deceased animal.
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“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 Governors constitutional powers with even the most basic level of review,” Garrett said.
“Biscuit was a dog. Biscuit has been dead for five years. Yet an official document bearing the governors signature says the executive reviewed the particulars of Biscuits criminal case and determined her rights should be restored. Virginians deserve an explanation for how that is possible.”
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Biscuits owner, who declined to be identified to avoid political backlash, confirmed the letter’s authenticity to Fox News Digital and told Garrett in a statement that the pup was a “good dog and is greatly missed.”
“To my knowledge, she was never convicted of a felony, nor did she ever show any interest in voting,” the owner said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment but did not immediately receive an official response by publication time.
The owner told Fox News Digital that Biscuit was never sent to the pound or had any other contact with Richmond that could have resulted in her being placed on the voting rolls. The owner said a sibling is currently incarcerated but added that the connection is moot because Spanbergers stated effort only involves released former convicts.
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Garrett noted in a statement that the Spanberger administration said in July that Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon-King would be “proactively identifying Virginians who had lost their rights, confirming that those individuals were eligible, and restoring their rights,” in his words.
Spanberger announced in August that the initial figure of 66,000 had <a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/august-rel
