Restoring Voter Rights To Non-Violent Felons One Step Closer To Becoming Law

Frankfort, KY: Felons who have served their time and want their voter rights restored came one step closer to that goal as House Bill 70 passed out of the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Darryl Owens, (D-Louisville).

House Bill 70, sponsored by Rep. Jesse Crenshaw (D-Lexington) and co-sponsored by Rep. Darryl Owens, would put a constitutional amendment on the next statewide general election ballot allowing voters to decide whether to restore voting rights for non-violent felons. If the constitutional amendment were to pass, non-violent felons would have their voting rights restored once they have completed probation, been discharged from parole or finished their sentence.

"I'm very hopeful that this is the year that all legislators will realize the importance of this voter restoration bill," said Rep. Owens. "Restoring voter rights to non-violent felons who have served their time helps them become productive and responsible citizens in our communities."

Currently, the law is subject to gubernatorial orders to set standards for restoration of non-violent felon voting rights.

"Under the Fletcher administration, standards required non-violent felons to write a statement explaining why their rights should be restored and provide character references to back up the claim," said Rep. Owens. "I believe these additional requirements caused tremendous roadblocks for people seeking restoration, because over 80 percent of those seeking restoration of their rights were not able to write the written statement."

The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.