Lawmakers to propose voting rights for imprisoned DC felons

WASHINGTON (AP) - Several Washington, D.C., lawmakers and City Council members are expected to propose legislation to restore voting rights in the District for incarcerated felons.

The Washington Post reports Councilman Robert C. White Jr. and several others plan to propose a bill Tuesday to remove language from a 1955 law that strips voting rights from convicted felons. White says the U.S. Constitution doesn't say the right to vote is contingent on someone's behavior. Six of the Council's 13 members have agreed to co-introduce the bill.

The National Conference of State Legislatures says every state but Vermont and Maine strips voting rights from felons. The District and 14 states restore these voting rights upon release. District elections officials also visit the city jail to help imprisoned non-felons cast absentee ballots.