Committee hears testimony to narrow ‘infamous crime’ definition, restore voting rights for incarcerated Washingtonians

House Bill 1196 would redefine the state constitutional category of “infamous crime” so that only crimes committed in Washington that are punishable by death would disqualify a person from voting, Representative Tara Simmons told the State Government & Tribal Relations Committee on Wednesday.

The change would remove most felony convictions from the constitutional basis for disenfranchisement and automatically restore voting rights for people who are not serving a sentence of total confinement under the Department of Corrections, although individuals would still need to re-register to vote. Desiree Omley, Office of Program Research staff, summarized the bill and said conforming changes are proposed throughout the elections code; a fiscal note is available in the EBB.

Supporters framed the bill as a step to repair what they called racially rooted, historical disenfranchisement and to improve reintegration. Representative Tara Simmons (20th Legislative District) said Washington’s practice of disenfranchising people…