Here's what you need to know about voting rights for people with criminal convictions

If you have a criminal conviction, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ineligible to vote. The laws are different depending on the type of conviction and where you live. The Brennan Center for Justice has a very useful guide that can help you understand these laws in your state.

Here’s a summary:

In the following states, those with criminal convictions retain all voting rights (even while in prison):

Maine
Vermont

In the following states, those with criminal convictions automatically get voting rights restored upon release from prison:

The District of Columbia
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Massachusetts*
Maryland**
Michigan
Montana
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Utah

In the following states, those with criminal convictions automatically get voting rights restored upon release from prison and discharge from parole (people on probation are eligible to vote):

California
Colorado
Connecticut
New York

In the following states, those with criminal convictions automatically get voting rights restored upon completion of a sentence including prison, parole and probation:

Alaska
Arkansas
Georgia
Idaho
Kansas
Louisiana
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska***
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Texas
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin

In the following states, depending on the conviction, some people with past criminal convictions will need to apply individually to have their voting rights restored:

Alabama
Arizona
Delaware
Mississippi
Nevada
Tennessee
Virginia
Wyoming

In the following states, anyone with a felony conviction will need to apply individually to have their voting rights restored:

Florida
Iowa
Kentucky

*In Massachusetts, people with convictions for “corrupt practices in respect to elections” must apply individually to have their voting rights restored.

**Maryland’s new law, automatically restoring voting rights upon release from prison, takes effect March 10, 2016.

***In Nebraska, there is a two-year waiting period after a full sentence is completed before voting rights are restored. People convicted of treason in Nebraska must apply individually to have voting rights restored.