Nevada Governor Signs Bill To Restore Voting Rights To People Released From Prison

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) signed a sweeping criminal justice reform bill on Wednesday that will restore the voting rights of convicted felons, a measure he says will re-enfranchise 77,000 people.

Through a measure known as AB431, the once complicated process to enfranchise formerly incarcerated Americans will be streamlined, and the governor proclaimed the move as an effort to “restore fairness and justice to thousands of Nevadans.”

According to The Huffington Post, the bill will go into effect July 1 and will automatically restore a person’s voting rights once they are released from prison and complete their parole. The measure received wide, bipartisan support and by some estimates will re-enfranchise more than 3% of Nevada’s voting-age population.

Thirty-eight other states and the District of Columbia currently have policies restoring the voters’ rights for convicted felons.