Wisconsin Representatives Introduce Victims’ Rights Measure

Two state legislators from Wisconsin are urging colleagues to back their bill to strengthen crime victims’ rights to restitution in their state. 

The bill authored by State Representatives Shae Sortwell (Pictured above, right) (R-Gibson) and Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) (Pictured above, left) would halt the restoration of felons’ voting rights until after the perpetrators pay all fines, court fees, and victim restitution. In the Badger State, a convict loses his or her right to vote until he or she serves all prison time and completes any parole or probation that a court imposes. But that person may again vote before meeting his or her legal monetary obligations. 

“Wisconsin law currently does not require that all financial obligations be paid back until that right to vote is restored,” Sortwell said in a statement. “I believe this undermines victims’ rights and [full payment] should also be mandatory…. The victim should have her rights fully restored before the criminal because she matters, too. And my legislation maintains that notion.”

The legislation is similar to a law signed in 2019 by Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. The prior year, a majority of Florida voters answered yes to a ballot question about whether felons other than rapists and murderers should regain their voting rights after serving their sentences. Republican lawmakers in the Sunshine State modified that policy by stipulating that felons pay their financial obligations to satisfy their sentences fully. 

To make their Wisconsin bill law, Sortwell, and Stroebel will need to win the support of Democratic Governor Tony Evers, an uncertain prospect. Progressive organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union oppose even the extent of Wisconsin’s current law, and Democratic lawmakers echo this complaint regarding the Sortwell-Stroebel measure. 

State Representative Lisa Subeck (D-Madison), a member of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections, called the bill a “no-go,” arguing it “further disenfranchises folks.”

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Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Wisconsin Daily Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Shae Sortwell” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo “Duey Stroebel” by Duey Stroebel. 

 

 

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