Iowa is moving to revise its voter registration application to help clear up widespread confusion over felons’ voting rights, according to an administrative rule published Tuesday. The change, adopted by a bipartisan commission, would remove a question that some voters have erroneously marked indicating they are felons without the right to vote. Another revision would explain that convicted felons aren’t qualified to vote until they have their rights restored by Gov. Terry Branstad. Prospective voters still would have to attest that they are not felons without voting rights when signing the application. If the changes go into effect, as expected, a new application will be in use starting April 9. The state will gather public comment on the proposed changes through Jan. 28, and a legislative rules committee will review them in February.
Anyone convicted in Iowa of an “infamous crime” — including all felonies and some aggravated misdemeanors — loses his or her right to vote and hold public office. To get those rights back after a sentence is served, a felon has to apply for and obtain clemency from Branstad under an executive order he signed in 2011.
“The widespread confusion about voting for people with criminal convictions in Iowa has played out in a number of unfortunate ways since the governor made the policy more restrictive,” American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa attorney Rita Bettis said in a statement. “This change will help clarify the law in Iowa for voters and provide useful information that people with felony convictions can have their right to vote restored through the governor’s office.”
Full Article: Felon question taken off Iowa voter forms | The Des Moines Register | desmoinesregister.com.