Brennan Center for Justice

Current Felony Disenfranchisement Law

In Nevada, more than 40,000 people are not allowed to vote because of a criminal conviction in their history. Of that number, half have fully completed their sentences and are living in their home communities. [1] In addition, one third of the people disenfranchised due to a criminal conviction in Nevada are African American.[2]

Currently, many Nevadans with felony convictions are permanently disenfranchised, unless the government approves individual rights restoration.  Nevada’s laws governing the restoration of civil rights are among the most complex in the nation, and difficult to navigate for both election officials and individuals with criminal histories.  A 2010 survey by the ACLU of Nevada showed widespread confusion by election officials over how Nevada’s restoration law works, and who is entitled to cast a vote.   

A.B. 301

Lee Rowland introduced the bill and gave testimony in support of The Right to Vote bill, or A.B. 301, on March 22, 2011.The bill will simplify Nevada’s complicated law by automatically restoring voting rights to anyone who successfully completes a felony sentence of imprisonment, probation, or parole.

The bill passed in the Nevada Assembly on April 26, 2011.

On May 12, 2011 Lee Rowland gave testimony before the State Senate Legislative Operations and Elections Committee. The bill was also supported by the American Probation and Parole Association, which submitted written testimony.  On May 19, 2011, the bill passed out of the Senate Committee with bipartisan support and a final vote of 4-1.

On June 3, the Nevada legislature passed Assembly Bill 301, and on June 17, Governor Sandoval ignored the bipartisan will of the legislature and vetoed A.B. 301.  Click here to read Lee Rowland's blog piece about the veto.  By issuing a veto for this bill, Governor Sandoval failed to seize a significant opportunity to expand voting rights and support racial justice in Nevada. The bill had aimed to make the voting rights restoration process more efficient and help Nevada move closer to a fair and fully functioning democratic system.

[1]  Jeff Manza & Christopher Uggen, Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy 249 (2006); See also The Sentencing Project, 2009 data available at http://sentencingproject.org/map/statedata.cfm?abbrev=NV&mapdata=true. 

[2] Id.