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FACT BRIEF

Does Tony Evers only pardon people with felony convictions who have already been free for more than five years?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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YES

Gov. Tony Evers will only pardon people who meet the criteria of at least five years "off paper," that is, five years since completing all confinement, extended supervision, parole and probation.

Evers' three other main criteria for a pardon are the conviction taking place in Wisconsin, the person not being a sex offender and no new charges in any jurisdiction.

Each Wisconsin governor establishes their own criteria for pardons — a power granted by the Wisconsin Constitution.

While the pardon does not expunge court records, it restores a person's civil rights, including the rights to vote and hold public office. Voting rights are also restored after someone with a felony conviction has completed their sentence.

As of November 2023, Evers is the Wisconsin governor who has pardoned the most people: 1,111. The governor with the second largest number of pardons was Julius Heil (1939–43), with 943.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Legislative Council Issue brief: Pardons
Governor Tony Evers Pardon information
Legislative Reference Bureau Executive clemency power in Wisconsin
State of Wisconsin Press Release: Gov. Evers grants 82 pardons, bringing total pardons granted to 1,111
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.