Voting-rights bill signed into law

May 4, 2009

OLYMPIA-With a stroke of her pen today, Gov. Chris Gregoire restored voting rights to former offenders who serve their time, stay out of trouble and make a good faith effort to pay court-ordered financial debts.

The new law completes a nine-year effort by state Rep. Jeannie Darneille (D-Tacoma) to end a system that denied voting rights to former felons until all financial obligations ordered by the courts had been paid in full.

"Today marks an important day in the progress of civil rights in Washington," Darneille said. "Voting rights should never be based on the ability to pay. Allowing former offenders to earn the right to vote by good behavior and good faith will replace a civil wrong with a civil right and encourage successful reentry into communities."

More than 167,000 people have been barred from voting due to the state's former rules on how and when voting rights are restored to former offenders, according to a report prepared by non-partisan legislative staff on Darneille's House Bill 1517.

The law signed today restores the right to vote for former offenders who are no longer incarcerated or in community custody. However, the right can be revoked again if the person fails to make a good faith effort to comply with court orders concerning legal financial obligations.

The measure also requires the Secretary of State to ensure the integrity of voter rolls at least twice a year by comparing the list of registered voters to a list of felons who have not met the conditions for restored voting rights.

Secretary of State Sam Reed said Darneille's voting-rights reform would promote clean elections by clearing up confusion regarding who is entitled to vote.

"It will give us a clearer system for tracking when ex-felons are eligible or ineligible. We all want good, clean voter registration rolls, and this bill really helps," Reed said in a statement issued after the measure passed the Legislature.

Supporters ranging from the ACLU and League of Women Voters to the Washington State Bar Association supported Darneille's voting-rights law both as a matter of justice and as an important step toward helping former offenders become productive members of the community again.

"By restoring these rights, we're motivating an entire population to re-engage in society," said Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle). "As a state, we've supported efforts for successful rehabilitation and re-entry. This bill helps people who have served their time to move forward and pursue a more positive role in their community."

Darneille said that studies from Project Vote, the American Civil Liberties Union and others prove that recognizing the voting rights of ex-offenders reduces recidivism and improves successful outcomes in reintegrating former offenders into society.

"Emphasizing the 'ex' in 'ex-offender' helps people to see themselves differently, and that is an important step on the road to better lives for all concerned," Darneille said.