After completing her sentence, Griffin voted in an uncontested municipal election in her hometown of Montrose in 2013, believing her voting rights were restored. The governor has restored voting rights to about 20 felons per year since 2011. Now the practice of stripping felons of their voting rights looks likely to remain in place, probably for years, after the Iowa Supreme Court upheld it Thursday as constitutional. In a 4-3 ruling, the court said the Iowa Constitution's lifetime ban on voting by anyone convicted of "infamous crimes" extends to all felons, regardless of their offense. Critics saw the policy of disenfranchising felons as an outrage in a state known for landmark civil rights rulings on slavery, gender equality and gay marriage.

Source: ABC News July 01, 2016 06:11 UTC