Justice Minister Andrew Little has revealed some prisoners will be allowed to vote in next year's general election.

People sentenced to less than three years in prison will have their voting rights restored.

This will return the law to the way it was pre-2010, before the National-led government removed voting rights from all sentenced prisoners.

"We plan to make this change in an Electoral Amendment Bill before the next election, so that people sentenced to less than three years imprisonment can participate in the 2020 election," Little said.

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STACY SQUIRES/STUFF Arthur Taylor, a former long-serving prisoner and jailhouse lawyer, was one of the campaigners against the voting ban.

Former long-serving prisoner Arthur Taylor, who was in prison when he started campaigning against the ban, said he was feeling "bloody elated".

Taylor was one of five prisoners who took the government to the High Court over the issue in 2013.

The court ruled that denying all inmates the vote was inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act.

The Attorney-General appealed that decision all the way to the Supreme Court, which upheld the High Court's ruling.

The ruling sent a formal message to Parliament that the law was inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act, but did not give prisoners the right to vote.

"I take great confidence out of this because it shows the public's attitude to rehabilitation in prisons is changing. It's no longer lock them up and throw away the key," he said.

"I was flabbergasted that the public turned from 90 per cent against [removing the ban] to 53 per cent in favour. What that tells me is that Kiwis are fair-minded and reasonable people."

Taylor said the "outrageous" ban could never be justified in a free and democratic society.

He concluded he was "shooting off into town shortly to have a few piña coladas".

Opposition leader Simon Bridges dismissed the announcement, and said it proved Labour was "soft on crime".

"If you do the crime you should lose your rights and do the time. National will change this back after the election."