A Virginia rights-restoration letter naming “Biscuit Rigsby” claims a felon’s voting rights were restored, even though locals say Biscuit was a dog that died five years ago.
Story Snapshot
- A letter and certificate named “Biscuit Rigsby” and said voting rights were restored after a felony.
- The document bore Governor Abigail Spanberger’s signature, according to media reports.
- The governor’s office denied restoring rights to a dog and said the record matches a human with a date of birth and Social Security number.
- A state legislator called for an independent audit to explain the error and check for similar cases.
What the Documents Reportedly Said and Showed
WRIC reported that a September 23 letter and certificate were addressed to “Biscuit Rigsby” and stated that the recipient, described as a felon, had their voting rights restored and should register to vote. Photographs shared by Delegate Tom Garrett appeared to show the paperwork, which he said came from a constituent. Fox News reported the certificate bore Governor Abigail Spanberger’s signature and language stating the executive reviewed the case before approval. The complete, unredacted documents were not publicly released.
Virginia Family Receives Voting Paperwork for Their Dead Dog 'Biscuit' Due to Spanberger Voting Rights 'Restoration' Program https://t.co/3Remu8Kj3N #gatewaypundit via @gatewaypundit
— Linda Runstein (@LindaRunstein) October 31, 2026
Fox News quoted an unnamed owner who said Biscuit was a beagle-hound mix from Goochland County who died around five years ago and, of course, never voted or committed crimes. The owner remained anonymous due to fear of backlash. That limits outside verification of Biscuit’s identity and death date through public records. Without full records, the public cannot see the date of birth, Social Security number, or case identifiers behind the state’s issuance.
How Virginia’s Restoration Process Is Supposed to Work
Virginia’s official process says people convicted of felonies may apply after release from incarceration. The Secretary of the Commonwealth reviews records with several state agencies, checks eligibility, and issues personalized orders after the Governor approves them. The description presents a check-and-approve model, not a mass auto-restore without review. That is why the “Biscuit” case is drawing attention: it appears to show a named order in a disputed identity, which should have been screened out if the inputs were clean and the checks worked.
The governor’s office rejected the idea that a dog received restored rights. A spokesperson said, “Of course we did not restore the rights of a dog,” and stated the record is tied to a person with a date of birth and a Social Security number. That response suggests the name on the letter may not reflect the underlying identity fields used in the workflow. But the office cited privacy rules and did not share the human’s identifiers, leaving the public unable to match the paperwork to the alleged person.
Calls for an Audit and What Needs Clarifying
Delegate Tom Garrett asked for an independent audit to determine how a certificate could claim executive review of a “Biscuit Rigsby” criminal case, and to check for deceased, duplicate, or nonexistent recipients across the program. An audit could test the source database, identity-matching rules, staff approvals, and mailing records. It could also seek returned mail rates and error reports. These steps would show whether the case is a one-off data error or a sign of a broader quality-control gap.
Both sides point to a deeper trust issue that crosses party lines. People worry that big government systems are sloppy, opaque, and run by elites who never face consequences when mistakes happen. Research on election-related databases shows they change often and can contain errors from typos, merges, or flawed matches. That does not prove fraud. But it does prove that process integrity and transparency matter. Clear answers, fast audits, and public error reporting can rebuild trust without spin.
Sources:
facebook.com, foxnews.com, wric.com, ground.news, reddit.com
