Update: Victory! Governor Signs Voting Rights Restoration Reform
In November, more than 3 million people in Washington participated in our federal, state and local elections. It is exciting that so many people took the time to make their voices heard.
But there are more than 167,000 Washington citizens who are prohibited from engaging in this most essential part of democracy because of our state’s unnecessarily complicated system for restoring voting rights. People coming out of the criminal justice system still cannot vote unless they have paid off all their financial legal obligations associated with their cases and then have received proper government documentation. Poor people and people of color are hit the hardest, with 17% of African Americans and 10% of the voting age Latino population prevented from voting under our current laws.
The state’s system for restoring voting rights is unworkable and unfair. It needs to be reformed.