Voter registration; restoration of political rights upon release from incarceration.

Voter registration; restoration of political rights upon release from incarceration; certain adjudications. Provides that any person who loses his political rights as a result of a felony conviction shall be invested with those rights upon his release from incarceration and shall be entitled to register to vote. The bill directs the Department of Corrections and the Compensation Board to transmit to the Department of Elections certain information for recently released incarcerated persons and requires the Department of Elections to process the information and make the necessary changes to the voter registration system to permit such persons to register to vote. On the date of an incarcerated person's release, the appropriate authority is required by the bill to provide a voter registration application, information on returning the form by mail or completing it by electronic means, and a document stating that he as been released from incarceration for a specified felony to serve as a safety net for voter registration. The bill also amends the language regarding adjudications of mental incompetency for purposes of being qualified to vote; a person adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote until that capacity has been reestablished. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027, contingent upon the approval of the constitutional amendments at the November 3, 2026, general election. This bill is identical to SB 162.

Status

Passed

Signed or otherwise enacted

Status date

Apr 22, 2026

204 days ago

Current chamber

Senate

Session

2026 Regular Session