We’re all being urged to perform our duty as citizens this year, and cast our vote. But it’s against the law for a few Iowans. Pottawatomie County Attorney Matt Wilber says under Iowa law, a convicted felon loses the right to vote, or even to register. The states differ on how they treat losing the right to vote, or getting it back — some restore it automatically if you complete probation, some won’t give it back unless you get a governor’s pardon. Iowa is near the “strict” end of the spectrum. In Iowa any conviction for a felony automatically loses you the right to vote and you must have that restored. The county attorney’s checked with the governor’s office and says any time an offender’s served their felony sentence, a probation or parole officer will give them a packet of information including how to get their voting rights restored, usually a routinely-granted request. Wilber says it’s not a difficult procedure, but it doesn’t cover any other subjects. It doesn’t give you the right to carry firearms once again, or even remove the conviction from your criminal record, just restores the right to vote. But if the request is not made and granted, you’re in big trouble under an election-misconduct law that just took effect in July 2003. Wilber says if you vote, or register to vote knowing you’re not qualified to vote, it’s a Class “D” felony in Iowa to vote or register to vote, and can get you up to to five years in prison. There may be a test of the new law; Pottawatomie County investigators say Patrick Tarr, who’d been convicted in 1997 of fleeing police in a stolen car, registered to vote through Iowa’s “Motor-Voter” program and declared on the application that he was not a felon. Tarr ran for the state house of representatives this fall in District 100 but withdrew from the race two weeks ago and moved to Fremont Nebraska, where authorities arrested him for electioon misconduct. A grand jury will convene in November to deicde if the case should go to trial. For a list of the states and their policies on restoring voting rights to felons, surf to http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legman/elect/voterights.htm
