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Iowa Senate Committee Votes Against Felon Voting Rights, Siouxland Public Media News, 4:32

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The Iowa Senate will not advance a proposal to amend the state's constitution to restore voting rights for former felons, dealing a blow to one of Gov. Kim Reynolds' top legislative priorities.

Sen. Brad Zaun said Thursday afternoon he was taking the measure off the Senate Judiciary Committee's calendar, killing the measure's chances of advancing ahead of a legislative "funnel" deadline on Friday.

There are still ways Republican Senate leaders could choose to bring the measure up this year, but it is unclear whether they will do so.

All week, Republican senators expressed uncertainty about how the vote would go. Zaun's decision to remove the amendment from the committee calendar came after Republicans on the committee discussed the measure privately. The committee's failure to pass the measure means it will not survive the legislative "funnel" deadline, making it ineligible for debate this year.

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