SB294 Summary

• Automatically restores voting rights to persons convicted of felonies involving moral turpitude upon discharge from incarceration, except in cases of treason or impeachment.

• Requires prosecutors to notify defendants during plea bargaining and judges to notify defendants at sentencing that conviction results in voting rights loss during incarceration with restoration thereafter.

• Mandates the Department of Corrections notify persons at discharge that voting rights are restored, provide voter registration forms, and transmit completed forms and monthly lists of eligible persons to the Secretary of State.

• Repeals the existing Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote process under Section 15-22-36.1, streamlining restoration procedures and reducing administrative burden on the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

• Applies retroactively to persons already discharged from incarceration prior to the bill's effective date.