§ 29A.08.520. Felony conviction -- Restoration of voting rights
(1) Upon receiving official notice of a person's conviction of a felony in either state or federal court, if the convicted person is a registered voter in the county, the county auditor shall cancel the defendant's voter registration. Additionally, the secretary of state in conjunction with the department of corrections, the Washington state patrol, the office of the administrator for the courts, and other appropriate state agencies shall arrange for a quarterly comparison of a list of known felons with the statewide voter registration list. If a person is found on a felon list and the statewide voter registration list, the secretary of state or county auditor shall confirm the match through a date of birth comparison and suspend the voter registration from the official state voter registration list. The canceling authority shall send to the person at his or her last known voter registration address a notice of the proposed cancellation and an explanation of the requirements for restoring the right to vote once all terms of sentencing have been completed. If the person does not respond within thirty days, the registration must be canceled.
(2) The right to vote may be restored by, for each felony conviction, one of the following:
(a) A certificate of discharge issued by the sentencing court, as provided in RCW 9.94A.637;
(b) A court order restoring the right, as provided in RCW 9.92.066;
(c) A final order of discharge issued by the indeterminate sentence review board, as provided in RCW 9.96.050; or
(d) A certificate of restoration issued by the governor, as provided in RCW 9.96.020.
[2005 c 246 § 15; 2004 c 267 § 126; 2003 c 111 § 233. Prior: 1994 c 57 § 42. Formerly RCW 29.10.097.]
Notes:
Effective date -- 2005 c 246: See note following RCW 10.64.140.
Effective dates -- 2004 c 267: See note following RCW 29A.08.651.
Severability -- Effective date -- 1994 c 57: See notes following RCW 10.64.021.
Restoration of civil rights: RCW 9.92.066, 9.94A.637, 9.94A.885, 9.95.260, chapter 9.96 RCW. Sections: Previous 29A.08.360 29A.08.410 29A.08.420 29A.08.430 29A.08.440 29A.08.510 29A.08.515 29A.08.520 29A.08.540 29A.08.605 29A.08.610 29A.08.615 29A.08.620 29A.08.625 29A.08.630 Next
Last modified: April 7, 2009