Beshear simplifies process to restore voting rights for felons

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Steve Beshear on Tuesday removed extra hurdles that convicted felons had to clear before getting their voting rights restored.

In reshaping the policy, Beshear said that felons who have fulfilled their sentencing requirements will no longer have to pay a $2 fee, write an essay or get three recommendations to regain the right to vote.

Beshear’s predecessor, Republican Ernie Fletcher, had imposed the extra steps, which, according to state statistics, had drastically reduced the number of felons winning back their voting rights. Beshear said he was essentially restoring a policy followed by previous governors for a number of years.

“I believe in a second chance,” Beshear said at a Capitol news conference. “I believe in rehabilitation. I believe in ... full participation in democracy.”

The Democratic governor was joined by several Republicans and Democrats in announcing the policy shift.

Secretary of State Trey Grayson, a Republican, said the changes will create a “smoother, fairer” process while preserving safeguards. Grayson and another Republican also invoked religious beliefs in supporting the policy change.

“I’m here because I believe my Christian principles instruct me to be here,” Grayson said.

In backing the policy change, Rep. Lonnie Napier, R-Lancaster, said that when a felon “pays his debt to society, it should be marked paid in full.”

“If the Apostle Paul lived in Kentucky ... and wanted to vote, he probably couldn’t vote in Kentucky because he was put in jail many, many times,” he said.

Beshear noted that the new policy retains a “safety valve” that confirms felons have fulfilled all their sentencing requirements before regaining voting rights.

Prosecutors also could object when circumstances merit a second look.

“This is not about being tough on crime,” Beshear said. “This is about treating people fairly, and about welcoming back people trying to put their lives together again and become good citizens.”

According to state corrections department statistics, more than 600 people per year were winning back voting rights before the extra barriers were put in place. In recent years, the number of felons regaining voting rights fell to just over 250 per year.

The average approval rate dropped from 97 percent to 28 percent.

Currently, voting rights are denied to nearly 129,000 adults who were in trouble with the law, including 1 in 4 black adults, according to state officials.