County jails will help ex-felons regain their voting rights and other civil rights under a bill passed unanimously by the Florida legislature, the Miami Herald reported May 2.

The Florida constitution gives sole power over restoring the rights of felons to the Florida Clemency Board, comprised of the governor and the Cabinet. State prisons automatically forward the clemency appeals of released felons to the board, but a similar process has been absent for inmates in county jails.

Supporters of the bill say that the measure, if signed into law, would close that loophole and enable many nonviolent felons to restore their right to vote, serve on a jury, hold public office, or apply for certain licenses.

A 2004 investigation by the Miami Herald found that less than 2 percent of felons who successfully had their rights restored came from county jails, even though they were more likely to be nonviolent offenders than inmates of state prisons.

Florida has the most disenfranchised residents in the U.S. The state also has a backlog of 13,000 clemency applications. Some voting-rights advocates want the state constitution to be amended to automatically restore the rights of most felons who have served their time.