Court Upholds Iowa’s Ban On Voting Rights For Felons

FILE - In this March 18, 2014 file photo, voters cast their ballots in the state's primary election in Urbana, Ill. Illinois voters could register to vote on Election Day, have more time to cast early ballots and not... FILE - In this March 18, 2014 file photo, voters cast their ballots in the state's primary election in Urbana, Ill. Illinois voters could register to vote on Election Day, have more time to cast early ballots and not be required to bring photo identification to vote early under a plan state lawmakers have approved. Democrats pushed the legislation on the second-to-last day of the spring session in May with the idea that it'll improve November turnout. However, Republicans claim it is part of a larger effort to boost Democrats' numbers at the polls. (AP Photo/News-Gazette, John Dixon, File) MANDATORY CREDIT MORE LESS

June 30, 2016 9:46 a.m.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Felons automatically lose their voting rights for life in Iowa, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a decision that declined to restore suffrage to thousands of former offenders.

All felons are disenfranchised by the Iowa Constitution’s bar on voting by those convicted of “infamous crimes,” the court ruled in a 4-3 decision. Iowa lawmakers in 1994 defined all felonies as “infamous crimes” and the court has no reason to overturn that judgment, Chief Justice Mark Cady wrote.

The court turned away a legal challenge filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Kelli Jo Griffin, who lost her voting rights after being convicted of a nonviolent drug offense. The group argued that felons like Griffin had not committed “infamous crimes” and therefore should not be disenfranchised.

More than 56,000 felons have been disqualified from participating in elections in Iowa. Civil liberties advocates had hoped the case would result in most of them being able to register and vote before the November election.

The ruling maintains Iowa’s longstanding status as one of the harshest for punishing criminals by taking away their rights to vote and hold public office. Iowa, Florida and Kentucky are the only states with lifetime voting bans for felons unless their rights are restored by the governor.

Until two years ago, Iowa had not only stripped voting rights from all felons but from some people who committed misdemeanors. Only those who completed their sentences and successfully petitioned Gov. Terry Branstad to restore their rights can vote again — a process that only about 20 have completed annually in recent years.

In a 2014 ruling, the Iowa Supreme Court declared that misdemeanor crimes never trigger the loss of voting rights and opened the door for a challenge to the felon ban.

Critics have long called the policy a stain on the state’s progressive civil rights record that has disproportionately limited the state’s black population from voting and holding public office.

Summary

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RYAN J. FOLEY

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