NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Voting rights advocates say they've gone to Louisiana's Supreme Court to try to win the right to vote for all convicted felons on probation or parole.
A group called Voice of the Experienced and eight convicted felons hope to revive their lawsuit after losing in lower courts. Their lawsuit addresses language in the state constitution allowing suspension of voting rights for those "under an order of imprisonment" for a felony. The lawsuit claims felons on parole or probation are no longer under an imprisonment order. Judges have so far disagreed.
Legislators recently approved a law allowing many felons on probation or parole to vote after being out of prison for five years. In a Friday news release, advocates said that still leaves tens of thousands without voting rights.