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Voting rights case has high stakes for Iowa felons who voted

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March 29th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A case before the Iowa Supreme Court could have a major impact on five felons who face trial for illegally voting in the 2012 presidential election. The high court will hear arguments Wednesday to determine whether thousands of convicted felons in Iowa have been appropriately disenfranchised, or whether it should have been only a subset who committed specific crimes.

County officials and voting rights activists have differed sharply on where justices should draw the line. The stakes are high for five residents of an eastern Iowa city who are scheduled to stand trial next month on election misconduct charges. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison.

The defendants could be aided by a high court ruling that narrowly limits the number of felonies that trigger a lifetime voting ban.