Democrats back restoration of felons' voting rights

CARSON CITY -- A proposed constitutional amendment to automatically restore the voting rights of felons who have completed their prison terms has been approved by the Assembly in a straight party-line vote.

The vote on Assembly Joint Resolution 6 was 27-14. The Democrat-backed measure goes to the Senate.

"This is about justice," Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, said. "When they complete the punishment, it's time to restore civil rights."

It's not that easy now, she said, to get voting rights returned. The state has had an unofficial policy that felons must wait 10 years after prison release before applying to the state Pardons Board. The board usually approves about 10 applications at its meetings twice a year.

Assemblyman Bob Price, D-North Las Vegas, said he was surprised to learn that felons in some states are allowed to vote while they are in prison. If they came to Nevada, they would lose that right.

But Assemblyman Greg Brower, R-Reno, said there is a process now for felons to regain voting rights.

"There is no evidence this is costly or burdensome," Brower said. Instead of restoring rights through a constitutional amendment, he said, the current process should be used combined with "an affirmative effort" to seek out freed felons and to get them to apply.

"Very few of us have the time to seek out these felons and get their rights restored," Price said. The issue should be addressed in the Nevada Constitution, he said, because it deals with the rights of citizens.

If approved this session, the measure would have to be passed in 2001 and ratified by voters in 2002.

The proposed constitutional amendment says the rights will be restored when the inmate is "lawfully released from all obligations of incarceration and restitution for that offense."

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