Who Cannot Get Their Voting Rights Restored?

You cannot have your voting rights restored if you were convicted of any of the following permanently disqualifying felonies during these time periods:

Between July 1, 1986, and June 30, 1996: 

First-degree murder, aggravated rape, treason, or voter fraud

Between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 2006:

Murder, rape, treason, or voter fraud

On or after July 1, 2006:

Murder, rape, treason, voter fraud, certain felonies involving bribery, misconduct involving public officials and employees, or interference with government operations, and sexual offenses or violent sexual offenses that are felonies where the victim was a minor.

Who Can Register to Vote After a Felony Conviction?

If your felony conviction was on or before May 17, 1981:

You only need to answer the appropriate question on the voter registration form. You do not need to do anything else to get your voting rights restored.

If your felony conviction was on or after May 18, 1981:

You must get a court order to get your voting rights restored before you can register to vote.

How to Get Your Voting Rights Restored

You must get a court order. To get a court order, you must meet all the following:

  • You were either pardoned, discharged from custody by reason of service, or granted a certificate of final discharge from supervision from parole or another authority;
  • You do not owe any restitution;
  • You do not owe court costs, unless a court finds that you are indigent at the time of filing the petition for restoration of voting rights; and
  • You are current in all child support obligations.

A sample petition for restoration is available from the Administrative Office of the Courts. See the document titled 'Restoration of Citizenship Rights – Petition' available here.

If You Have a Court Order Restoring Your Voting Rights

If the court order was issued on or after May 2, 2025:

You need to give the Administrator of Elections a certified copy of the court order. They will send it to the Coordinator of Elections for verification.

If the court order was issued before May 2, 2025:

You need to give the Administrator of Elections:

  • A certified copy of the court order; and
  • A sworn statement saying you have not been convicted of a disqualifying felony, you do not owe restitution or court costs, and you are current on all child support obligations (if any). Download the sworn statement here.

The Administrator of Elections will send your paperwork to the Coordinator of Elections within 5 business days for verification.

Restoration of Voting Rights
Eligibility to Vote after a Felony Conviction (PDF, 132.3KB)