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WA: Voting Rights Restored to people with felony convictions

By Real Cost of Prisons Project (The Sentencing Project)

Voting rights restored to former felons in Washington state by Elizabeth Hovde, Oregonian columnist Tuesday May 05, 2009 Cheers to Washington state lawmakers for following Oregon and numerous other states in allowing former felons to vote. Washington state Governor Chris Gregoire recently signed legislation allowing ex-convicts to get their voting rights restored once they've served their prison sentences and community supervision. The law takes effect July 26. Currently, ex-cons have not been eligible to vote until hard-to-track and hard-to-pay court costs and restitution have been paid. A press release from Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed's office says those costs "carry an annual interest rate of 12 percent and some ex-cons are essentially barred from voting for life because they can't pay off the obligation...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog on May 08, 2009 (boomark / email).