Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) offered rare praise for Sen. Rand Paul on Tuesday as the Kentucky Republican unveils legislation to restore voting rights for nonviolent offenders who have completed their time.
“I want to congratulate Rand Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky,” Reid said, adding that he has previously championed similar proposals on voting rights for ex-convicts.
“And that’s what Rand Paul said in his offering legislation saying if it’s a nonviolent crime, they should be able to vote when they’ve completed their time. I went a little further than that with mine, but I so appreciate his suggestion. And I’ll have more to say about that later,” Reid said. “And I hope I don’t get him in trouble with the Republican caucus for congratulating him. This is something that is long overdue.”
Paul said he’ll introduce legislation this week to that effect, according to Politico.
“I believe in these issues,” he told the news outlet. “Even if Republicans don’t get more votes, we feel like we’ve done the right thing.”
