In the effort to imprison as many non-White citizens as possible,1 if for no other reason than to deprive them of their right to vote, the state of Washington has done an outstanding job. When it comes time to restore the reborn and rehabilitated felon's voting rights, Washington goes further than any other state to ensure that doesn't happen. And when you consider that it's in competition with Florida, a state where you don't even have to commit a crime to end up on the excluded felons list, that's saying something.2

In Washington, to restore your right to vote you must not only serve your sentence plus complete your probation and community service but you must also pay all court costs, effectively making poverty another reason for disenfranchisement.

Ralph Thomas writes,

In 2004, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the state on behalf of three indigent felons who cannot afford to pay their court-ordered fines.

Now a state judge has struck down the law, citing the equal-protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. The judge said,

It is well recognized that there is simply no rational relationship between the ability to pay and the exercise of constitutional rights.

A radical thought if there ever was one.

Naturally the State will appeal. If the statistic from 2002 still holds, the legislature may be facing up to 50,000 new voters.