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Can you vote with a felony in D.C.?

The short answer

Yes.

District of Columbia doesn't take away the right to vote for a felony conviction, even during a prison sentence.

In the District of Columbia, a felony conviction does not take away the right to vote, including while a person is incarcerated. DC residents held in federal Bureau of Prisons facilities or the DC jail can register and vote, and DC's voter qualifications contain no exclusion for people on probation, parole or supervised release.1,3

Checked October 22, 2026 against 7 sources, starting with District of Columbia law, then by a second reader.

  1. In prison for a felonyCan vote1,2,4
  2. On paroleCan vote1
  3. On probationCan vote1
  4. Sentence completeCan vote1,2,5
Check with D.C.'s election office

Before you register

Your state or county election office can confirm your own status, for free. Voting while ineligible can carry criminal penalties, so if anything about your case is unclear, ask them first. The general election is November 3, 2026; registration deadlines are on vote.gov.

How the right comes back

Never lost

No restoration is needed. DC's definition of a qualified elector has no exclusion for a criminal conviction or incarceration (D.C. Code § 1-1001.02(2)), and the Board of Elections' list of qualifications to register does not mention convictions. The Department of Corrections must automatically register qualified electors in its Central Detention Facility and Correctional Treatment Facility, and the Board requests contact information for qualified electors in Bureau of Prisons custody (D.C. Code § 1-1001.07). The Board sends mail ballots to registered DC voters in Bureau of Prisons facilities, which treat ballots as legal mail, and runs in-person voting in both DC Department of Corrections facilities.1,2,3,5,6

Fines, fees and restitution

Not required

District of Columbia's law doesn't make paying off fines, fees or restitution a condition of voting again.1

Registering again

No need: the right isn't lost

Misdemeanors and jail

No conviction, felony or misdemeanor, affects the right to vote in DC: the qualified-elector definition and the Board of Elections' qualifications contain no conviction exclusion.1,5

People held in the DC jail can register and vote; the Board of Elections and the Corrections Information Council report in-person voting and same-day registration in the DC Department of Corrections' facilities.6

Convictions from another state or federal court

The qualified-elector definition has no conviction exclusion of any kind, so a conviction from another state or a federal court does not affect a DC resident's eligibility. DC residents serving felony sentences are held in federal Bureau of Prisons facilities and vote by mail.1,3

What's changed

April 27, 2021: The Restore the Vote Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Law 23-277, effective April 27, 2021) allows DC residents who are otherwise qualified to vote while incarcerated for a felony conviction, made the Department of Corrections an automatic voter registration agency, and requires the Board of Elections to provide registration forms, voter guides and absentee ballots to qualified electors in Department of Corrections custody, and to endeavor to provide them to those in Bureau of Prisons custody. The qualified-elector definition in D.C. Code § 1-1001.02(2) now has no conviction or incarceration exclusion (its paragraph (D) is marked 'Repealed'). The Board's figures show DC residents in Bureau of Prisons facilities registering and voting in the November 2020 general election, before the permanent law's effective date; the earlier legal basis was not confirmed. In the 2024 general election, the Board reports, 1,173 DC residents in Bureau of Prisons facilities were registered and 654 voted.4

The law

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This page explains D.C.'s general rules from its law and election office. It isn't legal advice, and a case can turn on the details of a sentence. The election office can confirm your status.

Spot something out of date? Tell us at contact@secondchanceindex.com.

Cite this page

Second Chance Index, "Can you vote with a felony in D.C.?" https://secondchanceindex.com/voting-rights/district-of-columbia, checked October 22, 2026.

Sources

Each source was opened and checked on October 22, 2026.

  1. D.C. Code § 1-1001.02(2) (definition of qualified elector)
  2. D.C. Code § 1-1001.07 (voter registration; Department of Corrections automatic registration; Bureau of Prisons records)
  3. Restore the Vote Overview, 2024 Primary and General ElectionsDistrict of Columbia Board of Elections
  4. D.C. Law 23-277, Restore the Vote Amendment Act of 2020Council of the District of Columbia (D.C. Law Library)
  5. Register/Update Voter RegistrationDistrict of Columbia Board of Elections
  6. Implementation of Recommendations Regarding Restore the Vote Amendment Act 2020, as of 2024 General Election (April 2, 2025)D.C. Board of Elections and D.C. Corrections Information Council
  7. Current MeasuresDistrict of Columbia Board of Elections