Texas Felon Running for City Council Seat
Lewis Conway Jr. wants to represent Austin's east side and is running for a city council seat. The problem? He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1992 after stabbing a man during an argument over drug money.
Conway is now questioning the language in a state law that would prevent him from winning the seat for which he's running. Conway served 8 years in prison and 13 years on probation after accepting a plea deal for the '92 stabbing.
According to KVUE, the Texas election code says a convicted felon would need a "judicial release from his or her disabilities". The Secretary of State's office released a statement reading, "a declaration from a judge or some kind of court document indicating the convicted felon is eligible to run for and hold public office in the State of Texas" would be required for an individual in Conway's position to be able to run.
Media outlets are following Conway's story closely and have reached out to City Council staff and the City Clerk's office for clarification about the case. No official statement has been released yet as of Thursday morning.