‘Restore the Vote’ Act passes in Minnesota House

(ABC 6 News) – Lawmakers in Minnesota’s House of Representatives considered a bill that would restore voting rights for convicted felons on Thursday.

Right now, anyone with a felony serving probation, parole, or supervised release must finish their sentence before their right to vote is restored.

But under this bill, once a person is released from prison or jail, they would get their right to vote back instead of having to complete their full sentence.

“Voting isn’t a privilege, it’s not something that we think is something that people earn, it’s a basic right of being a citizen in our country and of our society,” said Representative Andy Smith (DFL – Rochester.)

The Restore the Vote act passed in the House 71 to 59. It now makes its way to the Senate.