Vilsack wins lawsuit over felon voting rights
By THOMAS BEAUMONT
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

Des Moines Register
October 28, 2005

An Iowa court today upheld Gov. Tom Vilsack's
executive order restoring voting rights to all felons
who have served their state sentences.

Muscatine County Attorney Gary Allison challenged the
July action by Vilsack, filing a petition to block it
in District Court in Muscatine. 

Vilsack, a Democrat, was criticized by Republicans for
the move, which puts Iowa among 47 states that allow
felons the right to vote.

Before Vilsack signed the order, felons could ask to
have their voting rights restored, but were subject to
a lengthy process involving the state parole board and
governor's office. 

Republicans accused Vilsack of having a partisan
motive for the action, which they said favored
Democrats in the closely divided political
battleground state. 

However, GOP legislative leaders took no action to
block the executive order, which Vilsack signed July
4. Only Allison, a Republican, pursued a legal
challenge to the order. 

Judge J. Hobart Darbyshire issued an order today
saying simply that he had ruled in the defendant's
favor in Allison v. Vilsack. 

"The ruling by Judge Darbyshire confirms that the
executive order I signed on July 4th was in compliance
with the state constitution and that allowing
ex-offenders who have discharged their sentence,
probation, or parole the right to vote is within the
authority of the governorâs office," Vilsack said in a
statement released this evening.




		
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