CONVICTED FELON VOTING RIGHTS RESTORATION INFORMATION
- Individuals that have been
convicted of a felony may be eligible to have their voting rights
restored.
- Two (2) important facts establish if an individual is eligible for voting rights restoration:
- Date of Conviction
- Crime Committed
- The following timeframe
establishes the eligibility for restoration:
- Convictions prior to
January 1973, a court order is required to restore voting rights if an
individual was found infamous for the following convictions:
- Abuse of a female child;
arson and felonious burning; bigamy; bribery; burglary; felonious
breaking and entering a dwelling house; felonious breaking into a
business house, outhouse other than a dwelling house; larceny; horse
stealing; robbery; receiving stolen property; stealing bills of exchange
or other valuable papers; destroying a will; incest; rape; sodomy;
buggery; or perjury; subornation of perjury
- If an individual was
convicted of a felony for a crime other than those listed above prior to
January 1973 documentation is required to establish that a court order
is not required to register to vote.
- Convictions between
January 15, 1973 and May 17, 1981 did not result in a loss of voting
rights.
- Convictions after May 18,
1981 require that an individual file a completed in full Certificate of Restoration or an original certified copy of a court order with the
County Election Commission.
- Individuals convicted of
the following crimes within each specified timeframe are not eligible for
restoration:
- Between July 1, 1986 and
June 30, 1996
- First Degree Murder,
Aggravated Rape, Treason, Voter Fraud
- Between July 1, 1996 and
June 30, 2006
- Murder, Rape, Treason,
Voter Fraud
- June 30, 2006 to present
- Murder, Rape, Treason,
Voter Fraud, any offense under TCA Title 39, Chapter 16, parts 1, 4, or
5 designated as a felony or any violation containing the same elements
and designated as a felony, any sexual offense under TCA § 40-39-202 or
any violent sexual offense under TCA § 40-39-202 designated as a felony
or any violation containing the same elements and designated as a felony
in any other state or federal court and where the victim of such offense
was a minor.
- The following conditions
may establish eligibility for a restoration of voting rights:
- Receipt of a pardon; or
- Expiration of the
maximum sentence imposed for the crime; or
- Granted final release
from incarceration or supervision by the board of paroles, the
department of correction, or county correction authority; and
- Any court ordered
restitution paid; and/or
- Current in the payment
of child support obligations; and/or
- Any court ordered court
costs paid
- If completing a
Certificate of Restoration the document must be completed in full by one
of the following:
- The pardoning authority,
an agent or officer of the supervising or incarcerating authority, or
the agent of the circuit/criminal court clerk
- If a Certificate of
Restoration cannot be completed in full an individual must obtain a court
order in order to have their voting rights restored.
- An individual that has had
their voting rights restored in another state must still complete the
voting rights restoration process for the state of Tennessee in order to
register to vote.
- An individual must file
the required documentation and complete the restoration process prior to
the deadline to register to vote in order to be eligible to vote in any
election.
- An individual who has
completed the restoration process is not eligible to become a candidate
or hold a public office. In order
to do so a separate process of restoring citizenship rights must be achieved
through a court order.
- For additional
information please contact the Sullivan County Election Commission.