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Despite ruling, Iowa to bar all felons from voting

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April 16th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Elections officials will continue to bar felons from voting despite an Iowa Supreme Court ruling that suggests not all of them have lost their voting rights. Three justices ruled Tuesday that only some felonies are considered “infamous crimes” under the Iowa Constitution that bar individuals from voting or holding office.

Their opinion said such crimes are only ones that show offenders “would tend to undermine the process of democratic governance through elections.” The court says it’ll have to “develop a more precise test” in future rulings.

A spokesman for Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz said Wednesday the office will continue to treat all felons as being disenfranchised unless their rights have been restored by Gov. Terry Branstad. He says the court didn’t identify specific felonies that weren’t “infamous crimes.”