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About 56,000 convicted felons in North Carolina who are no longer serving jail are now allowed to register to vote, following a preliminary ruling by a state panel of three judges.
The move came after civil rights groups filed a lawsuit in November 2019 on behalf of six individuals and nonprofits hoping to restore voting rights to people who had previously been convicted of crimes, according to a press release from Protect Democracy, Forward Justice and Arnold. & Porter, two of the groups that filed the lawsuit and the law firm representing the plaintiffs.
A three-judge panel ruled in September that the state’s Deprivation of the Vote Act violated two provisions of the North Carolina Constitution, granting partial judgment to plaintiffs and restoring the right to vote for thousands of people who were under community supervision due to unpaid financial obligations, according to the groups.
On Monday, however, a three-judge panel voted 2-1 to extend the franchise to North Carolina’s 56,000 felons who are on probation, parole or post-release supervision.
Superior Court Judge Lisa Bell revealed in a hearing Monday that the two judges would issue a preliminary injunction that would prevent North Carolina from denying voter registration to North Carolina residents convicted of crimes who were on probation, parole or post-release supervision, CNN reported. , citing reasons for voting rights.
The decision was reportedly disclosed verbally and no written order has yet been issued.
Kellie Myers, the trial court administrator for Wake County, North Carolina, which is the district overseeing the case, confirmed the preliminary injunction to CNN.
She said it would affect those convicted in federal and state courts and would be implemented immediately.
The Hill contacted Myers for more information.
The North Carolina State Council of Elections wrote in a statement that the ruling means it “must immediately begin allowing these people to register to vote.”
“State Council staff will work as quickly as possible to update communication materials and all forms and documents to comply with the ordinance. Staff are also working with the Ministry of Public Security to update the data that the Council of State receives regarding people who are not eligible to register on the electoral roll due to a felony conviction, ” added the Council.
The board said it “will consider the written decision when it is released.”
The preliminary injunction, however, is still subject to appeal, CNN noted.
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