By Nancy Price
This newly passed law will go into effect on August 28, 2026. The major change is that many people completing their incarceration will be able to have their vote immediately restored upon release from incarceration, without having to complete their probation and/or parole. They will need to be sure they are registered in the county where they live.
There are some formerly incarcerated people who will still have to complete their probation and/or parole before having their vote restored. Those convicted of:
- first or second-degree murder,
- second-degree assault, or
- various sexually related crimes,
will NOT be able to have their vote restored upon release from incarceration.
The lifetime ban on voting for those convicted of voting related crimes will remain unchanged.
Although the law goes into effect August 28, until the election boards have received the list of formerly incarcerated who are eligible to vote, they will not be able to officially register those people. The League and many others are working to expedite that part of the process, and you will be kept informed as to how that process works.
