Tarra Simmons Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Gov. Jay Inslee Signs Bill To Restore Voting Rights To Washington Parolees

By NWPB News April 8, 2021

File photo, Dec. 2020. State Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton, holds blank voter registration forms as she poses for a photo at her home in Bremerton, Wash. Simmons was incarcerated herself before being released and becoming a lawyer, and then winning a state House seat in 2020. CREDIT: Ted S. Warren/AP

Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday signed a bill automatically restoring voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they are still on parole — a measure sponsored by a lawmaker who was herself formerly incarcerated. Read More

Washington Legislature Passes Bill Granting Voting Rights To Felony Parolees

By NWPB News March 26, 2021

Washington state lawmakers have voted to automatically restore voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they’re still on parole. With the support of majority Democrats, the state Senate passed the measure 27-22 Wednesday night, following earlier approval by the House. It now heads to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who is Read More

Former Inmate Who Won Fight To Become An Attorney Announces Run For Washington Legislature

By Austin Jenkins October 21, 2019

Tarra Simmons, an attorney who previously served time in prison, plans to run for the Washington Legislature. Courtesy of Tarra Simmons

Tarra Simmons, of Bremerton, who in 2017 won a Supreme Court fight to sit for the state bar exam, despite her prior criminal conviction, plans to formally announce her candidacy for the state House on Monday. Continue Read More

Vindicated By Washington High Court, Lawyer With Criminal Past Becomes Campaign Fodder

By Austin Jenkins July 17, 2018

Tarra Simmons, an honors law school graduate with a criminal past, was the subject of a political mailer attacking a Democratic candidate for the Washington Senate.

The past eight months have been a whirlwind of victories for Tarra Simmons—an honors law school graduate with a criminal past. This week something happened that Simmons could not have anticipated. A political mailer started showing up in mailboxes in the 26th Legislative District that attacked a Democratic candidate for state Senate, Emily Randall, for supporting Simmons Read More