Not all felonies are created equal. While incarcerated for a felony in Illinois, a person is unable to vote but upon release, a person's suffrage is automatically restored. But get charged with a felony in Iowa and you may never cast a ballot again.

"No idiot, or insane person, or person convicted of any infamous crime, shall be entitled to the privilege of an elector," reads article 2, section 5 of Iowa's Constitution. Iowa's governor is vested with the power to restore a citizen's right to vote. Since taking office in 2017, Gov. Kim Reynolds has restored the voting rights of 88 people

As recently as 2016, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the ban on felon voting, finding that all felonies are infamous crimes and therefore result in permanent disenfranchisement.

This leaves at least 52,012 or 2.17 percent of the population unable to vote despite having served their time. In 2016, Iowa had the second-highest racial disparity in incarceration rate for black and white Iowans resulting in nearly 10 percent of African Americans in the state having no right to vote, according to The Sentencing Project.

For those citizens, the only option to vote again is to apply for clemency and hope for the best.

But 2019 might bring hope.

When asked about a legislative advisory board's recommendation that Iowa felon voting rights be restored, Reynolds told the Des Moines Register that the administration was looking at criminal justice reform for the coming session. She said the Florida referendum that restored the voting rights of 1.5 million people has her looking into felon suffrage.

Extending the right to vote would likely come from the legislature which will not go into session until Jan. 14. But already groups like the Iowa League of Women Voters including the issue in legislative priorities:

"Automatic reinstatement of voting rights for people with felony convictions upon release from incarceration. Iowa and Kentucky are the only two states that permanently ban all individuals with a felony conviction from voting unless the Governor restores the right to vote. The Legislature needs to take quick action to adopt changes in Iowa law and pass a constitutional amendment that can be presented to the voters in 2022."

"I just don't think it makes sense that a person who hasn't committee election fraud is unable to vote," said Rep. Mary Masher (D-Iowa City) at Saturday's brunch of the League of Women Voters of Johnson County.

And there seems to be support from the inmate corrections community.

"Our correctional officers are trying to help these guys each and every day become better citizens," said Jim McKinney, warden at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. "That's what they are: citizens."

McKinney said that offering consistent pathways back into society gives inmates a reason to work for reform.

"Why did I lose the right to (vote)? Is it the right thing to do? The wrong thing to do? People smart than I am are going to have to make those decisions," McKinney said. "But nonetheless they are citizens of the United States. They are living in Iowa. I would agree they should probably have the right to vote. Especially when they walk out our door."

Zachary Oren Smith covers city government, growth and development for the Press-Citizen. Reach him at zsmith@press-citizen.com or 319-339-7354, and follow him on Twitter @zacharyos.