MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama House agreed Thursday on a list of crimes that qualify as “moral turpitude,” meaning anyone convicted of such a felony offense will lose the right to vote.
The House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill naming 42 felonies, from murder to forgery, as crimes of moral turpitude. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate.
The 1901 Alabama Constitution says people convicted of crimes involving “moral turpitude” are no longer able to vote, but didn’t define the term nor list any crimes meeting the definition. Politicians have disagreed through the years about which crimes qualify.
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines “moral turpitude” as “an act or behavior that gravely violates the sentiment or accepted standard of the community.”
In 2008, the governor and attorney general gave state officials conflicting lists of felony convictions that bar a person from voting.
Republican Rep. Mike Jones, the bill’s sponsor, described the bill as a compromise that will end the confusion.
Rep. John Knight, a Democrat from Montgomery, said the bill is a step in the right direction and he and other Democrats would vote for it, but he remains concerned about people being permanently stripped of their voting rights. He said the provision was put in the Constitution to prevent African-Americans from voting, and said it should be repealed completely.
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