Six states changed felony voting rules this year; Virginia votes Tuesday on restoring rights

A half-dozen states enacted laws this year that change voting rules for people with felony convictions. The laws cover when rights can be restored and how people can register, and they affect voters in next week's elections, Stateline reports ¹.

At least eight states advanced or enacted such legislation: Alabama, Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia ¹. Neither source reviewed reports voters being turned away or wrongly purged. The rule changes are real, though, and some are new enough that confusion at the polls is a fair concern. That is analysis, not a finding in the reporting.

What changed, state by state

Missouri enacted a law in July that lets people convicted of certain felonies regain voting rights before finishing probation or parole. People convicted of specified offenses must still complete those terms. It took effect in late August ¹.

Oklahoma's law takes effect Nov. 1, two days before the election. It lets people who receive a pardon or commutation regain voting rights, as long as they are not incarcerated or on probation, parole or supervision for another felony ¹.

Alabama's law took effect Oct. 1. It requires the Board of Pardons and Paroles to post restoration procedures and an application online, and to post identifying information for people on probation or parole whose rights were restored ¹.

Tennessee dropped the requirement to pay court costs and current child support. Applicants now must show they complied with child support orders for the preceding 12 months ¹. Idaho, in July, barred people convicted of treason in another state from registering or voting, even after their sentences end ¹.

Maryland's Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed a law requiring corrections officials, by Jan. 1, 2028, to send monthly release data to election officials. They must use it to automatically restore voter registrations ¹.

Virginia decides Tuesday

Virginia voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution so voting rights are restored automatically on release from incarceration. Today the constitution requires the governor or another appropriate authority to restore them ¹. If voters approve, the matching state law changes would not take effect until January 2027 ¹.

The House approved the amendment 65-33 on the session's first day, and the state Senate followed on Jan. 16 with a 21-18 vote, according to Bolts, a political news outlet ². Bolts reports that Virginia's lifetime ban dates to the 1902 constitutional convention. If the amendment passes, Virginia would become the 26th state to let anyone not currently in prison vote ².

It's time. It's time for us to have an automatic process.

Republican opposition has focused on who would be covered. Delegate Eric Phillips said: "There are violent felons, murderers, people who snuff out the rights of others to ever be able to do anything again in this lifetime, who should be exempted" ².

Why are we talking about giving something back that should never have been taken away in the first place?

The national picture and what's next

The National Conference of State Legislatures says 23 states automatically restore voting rights on release from prison. Fifteen require extra steps, typically probation or parole. In 10 states, some convictions can mean indefinite disenfranchisement or extra restoration steps ¹. Maine, Vermont and the District of Columbia let people vote even while incarcerated ¹.

Delaware lawmakers advanced a constitutional amendment for automatic restoration on release. It must pass the legislature again next session before taking effect ¹.

That matters because eligibility now varies sharply by state and sometimes by conviction. Poll workers and voters will be working from rules that changed in the past few months, and in Oklahoma's case just days ago.

The Record

1. Jan 16, 2026Virginia's Senate passed the voting rights restoration amendment 21-18, after the House approved it 65-33 ².
2. Jul 1, 2026Missouri enacted a law letting people with certain felony convictions regain voting rights before completing probation or parole; it took effect in late August ¹.
3. Oct 1, 2026Alabama's law requiring the Board of Pardons and Paroles to publish restoration procedures took effect ¹.
4. Nov 1, 2026Oklahoma's revised felony voting eligibility law takes effect ¹.

Sources

1. Stateline, “Voters with felony convictions face new rules in several states for the midterms” (2026-10-28). stateline.org/2026/10/28/voters-with-felony-convictions-face
2. Bolts, “"It's Time": Virginians Will Decide Whether to Repeal Jim Crow-Era Lifetime Ban on Voting” (2026-01-16). boltsmag.org/virginia-constitutional-amendment-to-repeal-lif

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