A Ruling on Felon Voting Rights

With Washington midterm elections now less than three weeks away, our votes count more than ever. But voting is a liberty some have indirectly chosen to sacrifice. Recently, an 11-member panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 144-year-old law that prohibits incarcerated felons from voting. The Washington inmates who filed the suit were unable to prove any violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Attorney General Rob McKenna agrees: "This ruling affirms the rights of states to withhold the right to vote from those who've committed the most serious crimes against society."

For more information on this decision, check out a recent editorial in The Seattle Times or go to the AGO news release.

-Valerie Kostka-