SB 714 - Under current law, no person shall be entitled to vote while confined under a sentence of imprisonment or while on probation or parole after conviction of a felony, until finally discharged from such probation or parole. This act changes those prohibitions by prohibiting persons from voting:

• While confined after conviction of a felony or misdemeanor;

• After conviction of a felony or misdemeanor connected with the right of suffrage; or

• After conviction of certain violent crimes referenced in the act.

Current law also provides that a person who is convicted of any offense shall be disqualified from registering and voting in any election while confined under a sentence of imprisonment. This act limits this provision to felonies and misdemeanors only while confined.

This act is substantially similar to HB 617 (2025), SB 1199 (2024), HB 1603 (2024), HB 1927 (2024), HB 2201 (2024), a provision in HB 2371 (2024), a provision in HB 2679 (2024), HB 2755 (2024), SB 376 (2023) and provisions in HCS/SS/SCS/SB 72 (2023) and similar to HCS/HB 248 (2023) and HB 385 (2023), HB 387 (2023), a provision in HB 642 (2023), HB 859 (2023), SB 542 (2020), HB 1780 (2020), HB 1951 (2020), HB 2268 (2020), HB 2362 (2020), HB 2410 (2020), SB 167 (2017), and SB 924 (2016).

SCOTT SVAGERA

Statutes affected:
Introduced (2422S.02): 115.133, 561.026