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Do I Have my Voting Rights? |
Felony Convictions |
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| Losing the Right to Vote: | ||
| If you have been convicted of a felony, you lose the right to vote until the right is restored. You do not lose the right to vote for a misdemeanor conviction, or a conviction in juvenile court. | ||
| How the Right to Vote is Restored: | ||
| If you were convicted in Washington State Superior Court: | ||
Your right to vote is restored as long as you are not in prison or on supervision with the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC). If you have questions about whether you are on supervision with the DOC, call (360) 725-8213 or click here. If you owe fines, restitution, or other court costs for a felony conviction, and you fail to make 3 payments in a 12-month period, the sentencing court can also revoke your right to vote for willfully failing to pay. The sentencing court can restore your right to vote once you make a good-faith effort to pay. |
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| If you were convicted in another state or in federal court: | ||
| Your right to vote is restored as long as you are not incarcerated for that felony. | ||
| Once your right to vote is restored, you must register in order to vote. Click here to register to vote. | ||
| How the Voter Registration Rolls are Screened for Ineligible Felons: | ||
The Department of Corrections and the Administrative Office of the Courts provide the Office of the Secretary of State with lists of felons who are ineligible to vote. Three times a year, the Secretary of State used that information to screen the statewide list of registered voters for ineligible felons. If you are registered to vote, but you are ineligible because your right to vote has not been restored, you will be sent a letter explaining that your registration will be cancelled in 30 days. The letter provides information on how to dispute the pending cancellation by contacting your county elections office. If you do not dispute the cancellation, your voter registration will automatically be cancelled after 30 days. You can register to vote once your right to vote is restored. Click here to register to vote. When registering, you must provide your legal name, date of birth, residential address, signature, and a Washington state issued ID or driver license number, or the last four digits of your social security number. |
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