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Voting Rights

Voting for officials and issues is an essential part of a democratic society. The franchise must never be conditioned on a person’s gender, ethnicity, or wealth. The ACLU works to ensure that no citizen is unfairly denied his or her right to vote.

Washington’s New Voting Rights Restoration Process

June 9, 2010
The 2009 Washington Legislature passed a new law that restores the right to vote automaticallyto people with felony convictions when they have completed their time in prison and have servedany required community custody supervised by the State Department of Corrections (DOC).Here is some information about how the new law works.
 
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El Restablecimiento Del Derecho a Votar en Washington

La asamblea legislativa de Washingtonrecientemente aprobó una ley la cualautomáticamente restaura el derecho a votara personas culpables de delitos graves al habercumplido su condena de prisión y período desupervisión comunitaria bajo la supervisióndel Departamento Correccional. Esta leyentró en vigor el 26 de julio de 2009.
 
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Voting Rights Restoration in Washington State

The Washington legislature recently passed a law that automatically restores the right to vote to individuals convicted of felonies
when they have completed their time in prison and have served any required community custody supervised by the State Department of Corrections. This law took effect on July 26, 2009. This brochure answers frequently asked questions.
 
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Surcharge on Unpaid Legal Financial Obligations

Bill: SB 5013
Position: oppose
Status: The Legislature passed SB 5013, and Gov. Gregoire signed it into law.
 
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Voting Rights Restoration

Bills: HB 1517, SB 5534
Position: support
Status: The Legislature passed HB 1517, and the governor signed it into law.
 
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Voting Rights Reform Bill Passes

April 22, 2009
The House approved and sent to the governor a bill that reforms Washington's convoluted system for restoring voting rights. The measure (HB 1517) will automatically restore the right to vote to citizens who have come out of the criminal justice system.
 
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Court Finds Pervasive Racism in State’s Criminal Justice System

In a ground-breaking ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in January 2010 struck down our state constitution’s provision barring felons from voting. The court found that racial minorities with felony convictions in Washington are disproportionately prevented from voting and that this stems from racial discrimination in the state’s criminal justice system, thereby violating the landmark federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.
 
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ACLU Helps Man Regain the Right to Vote

July 10, 2008
A man who was wrongfully denied the right to vote for years has regained the franchise, with help from the ACLU. Read his story and the court documents related to his case.
 

Related Documents

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State v. E. (Voting Rights Restoration)

The ACLU represented an individual seeking a Certificate of Discharge (COD) to restore voting rights lost due to a prior felony conviction. The individual had completed all terms of his sentence by October 2001, entitling him to automatically receive a COD. He did not learn about it until 2004. The ACLU filed a motion for a COD on his behalf in 2008 and argued that the effective date the discharge should be October 2001. The court agreed and granted the COD effective October 2001.
 
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ACLU Seeks Legislative Reform to Restore Voting Rights to Ex-Felons

September 1, 2004
In 2003 and 2004, House Bill 2054 was advanced jointly by the League of Women Voters of Washington, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.
 
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