SAN ANTONIO — The Presidential Election is only two months away. And this time around one question has many scratching their heads.
It is no surprise that as the election gets closer, more questions about the process come up. Many of them based on consipiracy theories and misinformation. Let's try to clear something up.
THE QUESTION
Is it true that a convicted felon can vote in Texas?
THE SOURCES
- Chad Cummings, an attorney with Cummings and Cummings Law
- The Texas State Constitution
THE ANSWER
TRUE
WHAT WE FOUND
Cummings says yes, the claim is true but it does have caveats. He told us, "Unlike many states, Texas actually allows for the automatic reinstatement of voting rights once a convicted felon's sentence has been fully completed or fully discharged."
Cummings added that the right to vote may happen automatically, but the convicted felon must abide by all of the rules handed down in court before voting can resume.
"But it's really important to note that that determination of whether or not a sentence has actually been completed can be a little bit tricky," Cummings said.
In Article 6, Sections 11 and 13, the Texas State Constitution says they can indeed vote if, they have "fully discharged their sentence" by: completing their full sentence, including any periods of incarceration, parole, community supervision and probation; receiving a pardon; or being "otherwise released from the resulting disability to vote."
So yes, it is true. A convicted felon can vote in Texas.
Cummings also told us there is no state level process a felon would need to complete, but once the sentences is fully discharged they simply register to vote as they did, if they did, the first time.
