Washington
CNN
—
Thousands of convicted felons in Minnesota have voted out of prison, not after completing parole, thanks to a new law set to be signed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. We are poised to recover later this summer.
SF26 passed the state Senate earlier this week after the House passed that version of the bill earlier this month. Both houses are dominated by Democrats.
Waltz has signed into law what his supporters are calling a “restore of votes” and plans to have it into law as early as next week, his office said.
invoice also conduct Correctional Officers to inform felons released from prison about their newly restored voting rights and to provide voter registration materials.
Once signed, the law will go into effect on July 1, allowing previously imprisoned felons to vote after that date.
The bill’s passage follows years of legal challenges to the constitutionality of the state’s current laws. The law prohibits people on felony supervision or probation from voting, even if their prison term has ended or they have never spent a day in prison. Removing obstacles to voting for former felons has been the subject of a partisan war in some states due to the perception that this voter group is more likely to support Democratic candidates.
In 2019, American Civil Liberties Union Minnesota challenged the lawargued that the Minnesota constitution guaranteed the right to vote automatically upon release from prison. Seeds were unduly affected.
However, the Minnesota Supreme Court early this month The issue was brought to the state legislature. under consideration Reinstate ballot measures since early January when Democrats took over the state Senate.
“Minnesota has more than 55,000 friends, neighbors and family members who are not incarcerated but have been barred from voting,” said Democratic state Sen. The champion said…a statement after its passage. “Individuals affected by this measure (Restore the Vote) pay taxes, feed their families, and contribute to their communities. They should be allowed to vote. We show that recidivism rates are lower when people who have been detained connect with their communities and participate in pro-social activities such as voting.”
Ahead of the final vote, Republican senators said they wanted to extend the reach of the bill by preventing incarcerated people convicted of more violent crimes, including child rape, from regaining their voting rights under the bill. I tried to limit
“Families in Minnesota expect lawmakers to develop solutions to reduce record-breaking crime and violence. By focusing on providing full state privileges and benefits to citizens and noncitizens, we leave Minnesotans vulnerable,” Senate Republican Minority Leader Mark Johnson said in a post-vote statement. rice field.
However, Champion argued that the bill’s purpose was not to focus on sentencing, pointing out that those who repeat offenses should eventually return to prison.
If Waltz signs the bill, Minnesota will join 21 other states that will automatically restore the right to vote for some or all former felons released from prison. Voting Labtracks election laws at the state level.
