RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tens of thousands of North Carolina residents convicted of felonies but whose current punishments don’t include prison time can register to vote & cast ballots, a judicial panel declared Monday.
Several civil rights groups & ex-offenders who sued legislative leaders & state officials in 2019 argue the current 1973 law is unconstitutional by denying the right vote to people who have completed their active sentences or received no such sentence, such as people on probation. They said the rules disproportionately affect Black residents & originated from an era of white supremacy in the 19th century.
In a brief hearing following a trial last week challenging the state’s voting restrictions upon felons, Superior Court Judge Lisa Bell said two judges on the three-judge panel have agreed they would issue a formal order soon allowing more felony offenders to register. The judges are acting before issuing a final trial ruling, as voting in October municipal elections begins next month.
Roughly 56,000 more people would now be allowed to vote, based on estimates. One lawyer said it represents the largest expansion of North Carolina voting rights since the 1960s.
“When I heard the ruling, I wanted to run in the street & tell everybody that now you have a voice,” said Diana Powell with Justice Served NC, a Raleigh-based community group that sued. “I am so excited for this historic day.”
Current law says felons can register to vote once they complete all aspects of their sentence, including probation & parole. With the upcoming order, felons who only must complete these punishments that have no element of incarceration can register. The decision also would apply to people convicted of a federal felony but whose current punishment is probation.
A lawyer for House Speaker Tim Moore, who is a defendant along with Senate leader Phil Berger & the State Board of Elections, said an appeal to block the panel’s preliminary injunction will be filed.
Moore attorney Sam Hayes called Monday’s decision an “absurd ruling that flies in the face of our constitution & further casts doubt on election integrity in North Carolina.”
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