A bill has passed the Senate that restores the voting rights of people with felony convictions who’ve completed their prison sentences but have not yet fully paid fines and fees. Senate Bill 242 passed 16-4 down party lines May 10. The bill does not call for the fees and fines to be forgiven. “This legislation affirms the state’s commitment to provide a second chance to those who’ve served their time in prison after breaking our laws,” said Claire Snyder-Hall, program director for Common Cause Delaware, in prepared statement. “We can’t reasonably expect them to become productive citizens unless we’re willing to extend to them all the rights that go with citizenship, including the right to vote.
“We salute the lawmakers who passed this bill and we’re pleased that Gov. Jack Markell had already signaled his support,” Snyder-Hall added.
Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover South, reacted quickly to the vote.
“This is just wrong. They put felons before victims, plain and simple,” said Bonini in a prepared statement. “I wish I could say something else, but there’s no other way to say it. Delawareans deserve better. We should live in a state where felons must make their victims whole before they are given the privilege of participating in elections. These are not Delaware values.”