Under current law, those convicted of felonies lose their voting rights until they have completed not only their term of imprisonment but also any term of parole or probation. Senate Bill 340 and House Bill 980 would expand voting rights to that group as soon as they are released from incarceration. That would put Maryland in line with growing number of states — between 15 and 20 at last count — that allow people to vote while on parole or probation. (Two actually allow people to vote while in prison.) We don't expect this measure will have a huge impact on voter participation, but it does send an important signal about the state's willingness to reintegrate people into society after they have served time in prison. Governor Hogan has rightly taken up the cause of the "collateral consequences" of incarceration that prevent people from living productive lives after prison, such as ineligibility for certain professional licenses or types of government aid, and this bill is of a piece with that effort.