Lawmaker wants to clarify when felons can vote

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Rep. Regina Goodwin says state law about when convicted felons can vote is confusing and needs to be changed.

But prior efforts by Goodwin, D-Tulsa, and Rep. Bobby Cleveland, R-Slaughterville, to clarify the current language have failed to secure passage in the Legislature.

The House Public Safety Committee, chaired by Cleveland, on Tuesday heard an interim study on the matter.

Current state law says a person with a felony conviction is ineligible to register to vote for a period of time equal to the time prescribed in his or her judgment and sentence.

Goodwin said some believe that means if they had a 10-year-sentence, they must wait another 10 years before registering to vote, which is incorrect.

Lawmakers have an obligation to make sure the language is clear, Goodwin said.

She said some believe prior efforts to clarify the language were efforts to change it, which is incorrect.

Pam Slater, State Election Board assistant secretary, agreed that the language is confusing.

The confusing portion is the section that reads “equal to,” she said.

The existing language appears to double the amount of time a person is ineligible to register, Slater said.

Also adding to the confusion is that some people with a felony conviction don’t always remember or know the length of their sentence, she said.

Goodwin has offered cleanup language which reads, “Persons convicted of a felony shall be eligible to register to vote when they have fully served their sentence of court-mandated calendar days, including any term of incarceration, parole supervision or completed a period of probation ordered by any court ...”

Donna Thompson, Oklahoma Baptist State Convention Prison Ministry director, said a person who is on probation or parole has not completed a sentence.

“A pardon is the only thing that stops everything immediately,” she said.

Oklahoma’s high incarceration rate has a big impact on voting, she said.

“The very least we can do is change the language that is so confusing,” Goodwin said.