OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Governor Inslee has signed a bill to restore voting rights to parolees.
The measure was sponsored by Rep. Tarra Simmons, a Bremerton Democrat who herself was incarcerated before going to law school and being elected to the Legislature last fall.
She and other supporters say the measure would help encourage former prisoners to reintegrate into society.
They also call it a matter of racial justice, as those on parole in Washington are disproportionately people of color.
More than 20,000 people stand to regain their voting rights when the law takes effect next year.