Iowa Could Soon be Alone in the Nation with Felon Voting Ban

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Des Moines Register
Expert

Iowa is poised to become the only state that permanently bans felons from voting unless they get gubernatorial approval — a distinction some opponents of the practice predict will result in legal and political consequences for the state. Blair Bowie, a lawyer for the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan group based in Washington, D.C., said if that happens, Iowa will be “first in the nation in presidential primaries, last in the nation in voter disenfranchisement.” More than 52,000 people in Iowa — a number that is greater than the population of 89 of the state's 99 counties — are currently prohibited from voting.

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