HB282 (2017) - Definition of Moral Turpitude Act

This bill was passed on May 17 and signed on May 25. This new law clearly establishes which felony convictions are considered to be crimes of moral turpitude. These convictions result in the loss of the right to vote; however, individuals with these convictions may be eligible to apply to restore it. Since determining which crimes are of moral turpitude has historically been left to the individual county voter registrars to interpret who can and cannot vote, it has disproportionately affected the African American communities in Alabama. By defining which crimes fall within this category, voting rights can be restored to many whose crimes are not on this list and will not be refused to those who might have been discriminated against in the past.

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