Restoring the right to vote to certain persons barred from voting as a result of a felony conviction, changing the information required on voter registration forms, and changing voting procedure for certain persons who are convicted of felonies

Currently, an applicant for voter registration must affirm: 1) whether he or she has been convicted of a felony for which he or she has not been pardoned and, if so, whether the applicant is incarcerated or on parole, probation, or extended supervision; and 2) whether the applicant is disqualified on any other ground from voting. This bill deletes the requirement that an applicant provide any information relating to a felony conviction but retains the requirement that an applicant affirm that he or she is not disqualified on any ground from voting.

Currently, election officials are required to verify the eligibility of electors who vote at an election or who register to vote at an election after the close of voter registration for that election by checking each elector's name against a list provided by the Department of Corrections (DOC) that contains the names of convicted felons who have not completed their sentences and have not been pardoned. If a person's name appears on the list, the election officials are directed to allow the person to vote if he or she is otherwise eligible, but to mark and challenge the elector's ballot for possible later review. This bill deletes the requirements for DOC to provide the list of convicted felons and for election officials to review the names on the list.

The bill also requires DOC, the Government Accountability Board, and the Director of State Courts to include in their ongoing training programs a discussion of the changes in law made by this bill and to offer the training to judges, attorneys, election officials, employees of DOC, and the public.