OLYMPIA, Wash. â As Americans last year debated the elections, Victor Sauceda endured tough conversations with friends and others talking about their votes.
Sauceda, 31, was released from prison in October 2019, he said, after serving time for felony convictions â meaning he couldnât vote last November.
âI just feel that shame that goes along with it, telling them I could not vote,â said Sauceda. âI felt like I was not good enough to vote.â
That dynamic changed Wednesday as Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill restoring the right to vote for Washingtonians convicted of felonies, automatically upon their release from incarceration.
Under House Bill 1078, roughly 20,000 people would regain their right to vote, according to the state Department of Corrections (DOC).
April 8, 2021
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill Wednesday restoring the right to vote for Washingtonians convicted of felonies automatically upon their release from incarceration.
Under House Bill 1078, roughly 20,000 people would regain their right to vote, according to the state Department of Corrections. Before now, people with felonies didn’t necessarily have their voting rights restored upon leaving prison. Instead, they could regain voting rights after finishing the conditions of their sentence, such as community supervision terms, which can last for months or years.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton, who is believed to be the first formerly incarcerated lawmaker in America. It passed the Democratic-controlled Legislature on an almost wholly party-line vote. Republicans opposed to the legislation have argued that certain individuals should be prohibited from regaining their voting rights based on the type of felony they committed. (Seattle Times
Inslee signs bill to restore voting rights to parolees king5.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from king5.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
» Governor signs bill to restore voting rights to parolees kgmi.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kgmi.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.