ES MOINES — Thousands of qualifying felons in Iowa will be eligible to vote this November thanks to an executive order Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Wednesday that automatically restores their voting rights once they have discharged their sentence or been granted probation or parole.
Making good on a promise, Reynolds signed the order during a Statehouse ceremony that drew state legislators, Black Lives Matter activists and a coalition of groups that have worked since 2011 to restore felons’ right to vote and run for public office.
“I just have to say, yee haw, we did this,” said Betty Andrews, leader of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP who witnessed the signing in Reynolds’ Capitol formal office. “We understand that there is a lot more to do, but certainly this is a strong step in the right direction. We are looking for more. We will continue to persist.”
Reynolds, an Osceola Republican, signed the order to restore the right to vote to felons who have completed their sentences or have been paroled or placed on probation, and to set up a process where she will daily restore voting rights of eligible felons going forward.
The order does not apply to felons who were convicted under Iowa’s Chapter 707 homicide criminal code section — which includes murder, manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter — nor does it extend voting rights to felons with special lifetime sentences for sexual crimes or other offenses.
Those cases would have to go through the Iowa Board of Parole or separate applications to be considered.
Restoration of voting rights is not contingent on any financial payment, victim restitution or fines, according to the governor’s office. But the executive order does not grant clemency or waive any court-ordered financial obligations, either.
