SEATTLE – Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday signed a bill automatically restoring voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they are still on parole — a measure sponsored by a lawmaker who was herself formerly incarcerated. “While other states are restricting the right to vote, I’m glad that in Washington, we are expanding access to democracy,” Inslee said.
Rep. Tarra Simmons was convicted of assault in 2001 and of drug and theft charges in 2011, after her father’s death sent her into a battle with methamphetamine.
But she went to law school and won approval from the state Supreme Court to take the bar exam following her release. Last November she became apparently the first former felon