A former prison inmate’s suit seeking to vote in elections has been upheld by a federal appeal court.

The 2-1 ruling by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that imprisoned felons should be allowed to vote in Washington state to ensure that racial minorities are protected under the Voting Rights Act.

The inmate bring the suit was from Bellevue.

The appeals court ruling overturned the 2000 ruling of a district judge in Spokane. That judge had ruled that state law did not violate the act, and dismissed a lawsuit.

The two appellate judges ruled that disparities in the state’s justice system “cannot be explained in race-neutral ways.”

A spokeswoman says state Attorney General Rob McKenna is weighing the state’s next step.