Washington state's Senate on Wednesday night passed a bill to automatically restore voting rights for people who are on parole and probation.
Why it matters: The legislation, which will go to the desk of Gov. Jay Inslee (D) to be signed into law, essentially ensures that every Washington citizen who's not incarcerated can vote.
- The action comes after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) last Tuesday restored the voting rights of 69,000 former felons through executive action, against a wider push across the country to restrict voting rights.
Of note: Sean Morales-Doyle, deputy director of the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, said in a statement that the move was "a step towards racial justice in voting."
- "Due to the racial disparities in the state’s criminal justice system, Washington’s Black residents are four times more likely than others to be disenfranchised," Morales-Doyle said.
Just passed my first bill off the Senate Floor! Off to the Governor's desk and couldn't have done it without amazing co-conspirators from the ground up to the halls of the #waleg! So much love for my people tonight!! #FreeTheVote @senpattykuderer https://t.co/mnDFzagV4E
— Tarra Simmons (@TarraSimmons5) March 25, 2021
