Iowa Governor Plans To Restore Voting Rights To Paroled Felons

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is set to issue an executive order that will formally restore voting rights to individuals who have been paroled with felony convictions before the November election.

Gov. Reynolds released a statement saying that her administration is working on the matter by sitting down with different groups. They were also considering other related matters they believed would be included within the executive order and then have her legal team work on it.

The Iowa governor has been facing increasing pressure to act and do something in the wake of the protests and outrage from the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.

The killing of the two men at the hands of white law enforcement officers sparked demonstrations nationwide and race debates calling for reform of the criminal justice system. Many have claimed the law banning convicted felons from voting is unfair.

According to the New York Post, Gov. Reynolds shared that she met with Black Lives Matter protesters twice to discuss the voting rights issue for felons. She admitted that things were bumpy at first.

She said they have people who are new to the process and were not familiar with how the legislative process was supposed to be done. Reynolds is also concerned about easing the worries of Republican lawmakers in the state and the Senate. So she has resorted to redrafting the proposed amendment, so there are going to be some limitations.

The governor is not giving up on a permanent solution considering it is the right thing to do.

Some of the limitations she had suggested included complete restitution to the victims by the convicted criminal before the felon is allowed to vote.

There are limits as well to criminals who are convicted of sexually related crimes and murders. These will not be allowed to vote permanently despite being on parole.