As with the identical House bill, HB1014, SB34 complements the portion of the proposed right to vote constitutional amendment, HJ2, that will prevent the arbitrary loss of voting rights by persons who need a guardian but nevertheless have the capacity to understand voting and the desire to vote. A person who lost the right to vote when assigned a guardian in the past will be able to petition the court for a review of that decision and those undergoing competency hearings going forward will receive a specific determination of their capacity to vote. This is a significant protection of voting rights for a vulnerable population and we urge the Committee to report it.

As with the identical House bill, HB1014, SB34 complements the portion of the proposed right to vote constitutional amendment, HJ2, that will prevent the arbitrary loss of voting rights by persons who need a guardian but nevertheless have the capacity to understand voting and the desire to vote. A person who lost the right to vote when assigned a guardian in the past will be able to petition the court for a review of that decision and those undergoing competency hearings going forward will receive a specific determination of their capacity to vote. This is a significant protection of voting rights for a vulnerable population and we urge the Committee to report it.