Washington on Wednesday restored the voting rights of felons “automatically” when they depart prison, even if they are under probation or state supervision.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed HB 1078, allowing those with felony criminal convictions to head to the ballot box when they are “no longer incarcerated” in penitentiaries. The move could grant more than 20,000 felons the right to vote, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a liberal reform group.
“This is a good day for democracy in Washington state,” Inslee wrote in a tweet.
The bill cleared the House by a 57-41 vote on Feb. 24 and passed the Senate by a 27-22 margin on March 24.
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Democratic state Rep. Tarra Simmons, who was convicted of assault in 2001 and drug charges in 2011, spearheaded the bill and said its passage is “a giant step for civil rights.”
“Regaining the right to vote, after having lost so many things, meant more to me than most people could imagine,” Simmons said in a statement. “This might seem a small thing to some people, but it’s a giant step for civil rights and it’s one that will give others what it gave me: a belief that I mattered, that I was once again a member of society, and that my freedom was worth preserving at all costs.”
She continued: “This new law won’t affect community custody rules or relieve people of their responsibility to pay their legal financial obligations. It simply severs the tie between voting and those things that have nothing to do with voting. When you’re no longer in full custody of the Department of Corrections, you’ll be eligible to vote once more.”
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Washington joined 18 states where felons lose their voting rights only when physically behind bars. In 19 states, felons are barred from voting during their prison sentences and for a period of time while they’re on parole. Eleven states ban voting for the group indefinitely, requiring other actions or a pardon from government officials to head to the ballot box.
Only the District of Columbia, Maine, and Vermont allow felons to vote from inside penitentiaries.
