Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is releasing her proposed bill that would restore voting rights for felons through an amendment to the Iowa Constitution;
OC……..language in place. :11
The language released Tuesday would change Article 2 of the constitution to say a felon gets voting rights back after the sentence is discharged.
That means they could vote after serving their prison time and any probation or parole.
OC………get this done. ;10
It doesn’t include complete repayment of all obligations, including restitution.
That’s an issue that could be a problem for some conservative lawmakers who have viewed Reynolds’ proposal with skepticism.
Reynolds says the move would bring Iowa in line with 35 other states that either never take away rights or restore them upon discharge of a sentence.
She hopes it will be a permanent solution through the state constitution:
OC……..we should take. ;04
Past governors Chet Culver and Tom Vilsack used executive orders to allow felons to vote after completing their sentence.
Terry Branstad changed that in 2011, requiring felons to apply to the governor to regain their voting rights.
Iowa and Kentucky are the only states with a broad permanent ban on felons’ voting.
Radio Iowa & AP contributed to this story
