Insight News  Oct 06th  Council on Crime and Justice asks
Supreme Court to clarify felon voting rights  E-mail Print PDF
pamalexander1The Council on Crime and Justice has filed an
action with the Minnesota Supreme Court asking to clarify the
right to vote for individuals who have had their guilt withheld
by the court on a felony level charge. At least one individual,
who is also named as a petitioner, has been told by probation
and election officials that she is not allowed to register to
vote and vote despite the fact that she has not been convicted
of a felony.  In Minnesota, an individual loses the right to
vote when convicted of a felony, but the right to vote is
automatically restored when they have completed their felony
sentence. This may seem like a clear line between who can vote
and who can't, but thousands of Minnesotans fall into legal gray
areas created by laws that make it less than clear when someone
is actually "convicted." These gray areas are primarily
comprised of individuals who receive a