Around 55,000 people with felony convictions will be able to vote next year in Minnesota. That’s because Governor Tim Walz signed a bill that restores voting rights to former felons. Under current law, individuals lose voting rights until the completion of their entire sentence, which can include parole and probation and can stretch for years or decades after their release.
The new legislation is one of several pro-voting bills that have been introduced across the US with at least 68 to 73 bills related to felony disenfranchisement seeking to ease existing restrictions.
Felony disenfranchisement laws have racist origins with some states still disenfranchising 10% of Black adults. While many states have made progress in improving these laws over the past two decades, there is still work to be done to ensure all citizens have access to the right to vote.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
