To the editor:

Iowa is among those states with the most restrictive rules for restoring the right to vote after incarceration. Iowa’s Constitution places the power to restore an ex-felon’s right to vote with the Governor.

The current restoration process, as established by Gov. Terry Branstad, requires that an ex-felon who is no longer under correctional supervision must have paid off all court-related debt prior to having the right to vote restored. Previously, Governors Vilsack and Culver issued executive orders restoring the rights of all felons to vote after they had completed correctional supervision.