The state legislature made a much-applauded move to approve a measure that would give convicted felons to vote after they are released from prison. Gov. Larry Hogan, however, didn’t agree with the idea.
Hogan vetoed the measure in a statement issued Friday afternoon. He argued that the bill would give voting rights to people who were still serving probation.
“The fact is that persons released from incarceration on parole or mandatory supervision are still serving their time as a debt to society for their actions,” Hogan wrote. The governor argued that Maryland law already gives people the right to vote after they complete parole or probation.
The bill, authored by Baltimore City delegate Cory McCray, would have given the right to vote back to 40,000 people. It was part of a national effort to restore voting rights for ex-cons.
