With a new year comes new laws for Oklahoma that go into effect Jan. 1, 2025.
These laws range from voter rights to healthcare access for everyone in the state.
House Bill 1629
The new law allows eligibility to some convicted felons to vote. Felons must fall under one of these requirements to be eligible:
- Served their sentence time to the full calendar date or served their reduced sentence to the full length.
- Have no other outstanding felonies after being released for the same period they were sentenced.
Click here to read the law in full.
2 News spoke with State Representative John Waldron who says Oklahoma is in the bottom five in the nation for voter participation and many former felons don’t know their rights outside of incarceration.
“Oklahoma is in the bottom five states regarding voter participation. It’s a healthier democracy if more people participate,” Rep. Waldron said.
The representative went on to say that Oklahoma leads the nation in mass incarceration.
“I would imagine that there are tens of thousands of people in Oklahoma who could vote but aren’t voting because of past felonies.”