Felon voting rights

Rep. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Mpls) wants to make sure those who can vote do, and those who can’t don’t.

Champion sponsors HF718, which would require that felons be notified when their right to vote is taken away, and when it is restored. The House and Senate passed a similar bill last year, but it was vetoed.

The House Government Operations and Elections Committee approved the bill March 9 and referred it to the House Judiciary Policy and Finance Committee. There is no Senate companion.

Champion said the bill would make sure that those who are convicted of a felony-level offense understand clearly that their right to vote has been revoked. Almost all known cases of voter fraud in the last several elections stemmed from convicted felons voting.

The bill would also require that a Corrections Department official or probation officer issue a written notice to a felon discharged from their sentence that their right to vote has been restored.

Beth Fraser, director of governmental affairs for the Office of the Secretary of State, said the office “strongly supports” the bill.

“Most of the felons who do vote did not realize that they did not have the right to do so,” Fraser said.

She added that the bill would make it easier to prosecute felons for illegal voting, since they will now be clearly notified that they do not have the right to do so.