Why so few rights restored?

I was encouraged to read that the governor has now signed the completed applications and thereby restored voting rights to at least 24 ex-felons. However, I find it curious that more than 1,000 individuals have paid the price for their transgressions and successfully completed the process spelled out by the state to regain their voting rights, yet only 24 have actually been granted these rights.

Why wait an entire year to return voting rights to less than 3 percent of qualified individuals? It is a puzzle that leads to speculation.

What is special about these individuals? They apparently are not those who have waited the longest. What else could set such a select number of individuals apart? Surely, it would not be anything that would indicate party affiliation or the likelihood of how each person might be inclined to vote in the future. Would it?

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Why so few rights restored?."