WA green-lights voting rights for ex-cons

The Legislature has sent Governor Gregoire a measure allowing ex-convicts to get their voting rights restored once they've served their prison terms and community supervision. The bill cleared its final hurdle Wednesday when the House agreed with a Senate amendment. The governor is expected to sign it in a few weeks. The bill was prime-sponsored by Representative Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, a longtime advocate of the change. The comparable Senate bill was backed by Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle. Secretary of State Reed and a number of County Auditors, the League of Women Voters, the American Civil Liberties Union, church groups and others supported the legislation. Currently, there is no clear "bright line" or "good-to-go" list when inmates complete their sentences and hard-to-track financial obligations. The latter includes court fees and costs and restitution. The new approach says that ex-cons can register to vote once they're out of Department of Corrections custody, including any parole. An amendment added in the Senate does say that a crime victim or county clerk can ask the county prosecutor to request a judge to revoke voting privileges if the ex-con fails to keep up with restitution and other financial obligations. Here is a bill report on HB 1517 after the Senate amended it. Reed says:

"I'm pleased that our Legislature has approved this voting restoration bill. It will give us a clearer system for tracking when ex-felons are eligible or ineligible. We all want good, clean voter registration rolls, and this bill really helps. The second good thing about House Bill 1517 is that it promotes responsible civic behavior when inmates complete their sentences. We know that nearly all inmates do return to their home communities and it is important that they become re-engaged in positive ways, including voting. This is a way to reduce repeat-crime and protect citizens. We will continue to strongly support victims' rights and expect ex-felons to pay restitution in a timely fashion."