RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — An advocacy group for ex-offenders will host an event in Richmond to help released felons regain their voting rights.

The organization, Bridging the Gap in Virginia, is holding the Rights Restoration Rally downtown Friday. Volunteers and officials will be there to help felons complete the paperwork to get their civil rights restored.

The rally also is intended to celebrate Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s recent reforms to the rights restoration process. The governor reduced the waiting period from five years to three years for those convicted of violent felonies. He also reclassified many drug offenses from violent to nonviolent, making thousands of offenders eligible to apply right away.

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