Iowa House Passes Legislation to Restore Voting Rights to Felons

DES MOINES, Iowa - Convicted felons who complete their sentences are a step closer to getting voting rights.

The Iowa House passed bills Wednesday night to restore felon voting rights, as long as they also pay any debts to victims.

The bills are a constitutional amendment, which will require several more steps before becoming law.

They must pass the Senate, and then the entire legislature in another year before going to a public vote.

Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order that allowed felons who completed their sentences to vote in the last election.

The constitutional amendment to restore voting rights passed the House Wednesday evening by a unanimous vote 95-0. A separate bill requiring them to pay any debts to victims before those rights are restored passed 67-28 with many Democrats opposing the measure.

Constitutional amendments require passage in two different two-year general assemblies before going before voters in an election. This means the legislation passed by the House must also be passed by the Senate in either this year or next year, and by the entire legislature in the next general assembly in 2023-2024.


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