Felon voting process will loosen in Iowa

Making good on comments made to the NAACP last month, Gov. Terry Branstad on Friday announced changes that could make it easier for felons to earn back the right to vote in Iowa.

Branstad, a Republican, met in November with national and state leaders of the civil rights group who implored him to bring back an automated process by which felons are granted voting rights after being released from prison.

The automated process was put in place by then-Gov. Tom Vilsack in 2005 but rescinded when Branstad returned to office in 2011. Now, felons must complete a lengthy application to regain access to the voting booth.

NAACP leaders had contended that the application process in effect as of the November general election disproportionately disenfranchised African-Americans and harkened back to voter restrictions from the Jim Crow era.

The changes announced Friday remove the requirement that felons seeking voting-rights restoration obtain a credit history check and clarify that applicants need only be current on their payments of fines, restitution and court costs rather than having to pay them in full.

They also contain simplified instructions, a more detailed checklist of required materials and contact information for free resources to help complete the application.

“When an individual commits a felony, it is fair they earn their rights back by paying restitution to their victim, court costs and fines,” Branstad said in a statement. “Iowa has a good and fair policy on the restoration of rights for convicted felons, and to automatically restore the right to vote without requiring the completion of the responsibilities associated with the criminal conviction would damage the balance between the rights and responsibility of citizens.”

Benjamin Todd Jealous, president & CEO of the NAACP, called the new application “a good first step” in a statement released Friday.

“We will continue fighting for every Iowan’s right to vote to be fully respected,” Jealous said. “Any American who has committed a crime and served their time behind bars should be allowed to vote upon their release. It is a step in the right direction for them, and for our country.”

Arnold Woods, president of the NAACP Iowa and Nebraska State Conference, added, “We are pleased that Gov. Branstad has responded to our request and the requests of his constituency to review the policy and make the necessary changes.”

Similarly, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa called the move “good news” in a statement released Friday afternoon.

“While we continue to advocate for automatic restoration of voting rights after a person completes their term of imprisonment, this is clear and important progress,” ACLU of Iowa staff attorney Rita Bettis said. “Restoring the right to vote to people who are current on their restitution payments, rather than requiring those costs to be paid in full, makes Iowa a better, fairer state.”

That clarification, Bet­tis said, will ensure that thousands of Iowans can have their voting rights restored. Removing the credit check requirement, furthermore, will eliminate a “source of intimidation and confusion” that kept many otherwise eligible voters from having their rights restored.

“These changes are good public policy, because evidence shows people who participate in the civic life of their communities by voting are far less likely to be rearrested,” Bettis said.