Voting rights and felons/ex-felons

There is a long tradition in this country of denying adults the right to vote for various reasons. Most of us have a direct connection to a group of people who at some point were not allowed to vote, whether based on race, sex, immigration status, or social standing.

The original Bill of Rights, for example...

Should you have to pay to vote? That’s the question winding its way up the Washington state court system this year. Washington’s criminal legal system has created a two-tiered system, where two people charged with the same crime may serve the same prison sentence and be forced to pay the same fines, but one person will have his or her right to vote restored sooner than the other. The difference between these two people? Their ability to pay.

In a victory for people who support voting rights, a King County Superior Court judge this week ruled against Washington State's policy of withholding the right to vote from people who are unable to pay off fines related to criminal convictions. The judge ordered that the three people named in the suit are allowed to register to vote. The state has announced its plan to appeal, although

Some states call them fees, others, ad-ons, but whether it’s a fee or an add-on, it often means an unmanageable debt for people coming out of prison. Some states charge a per-day fee for every day someone is incarcerated, or court fees, fees for parole and probation, fees to rent global positioning systems, fees for drug tests, and fees for required classes like anger management. States also charge interest.