Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont have introduced legislation that would guarantee the right to vote in federal elections for all citizens convicted of a felony.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont submitted the legislation, named the Inclusive Democracy Act, on Tuesday which would guarantee the right to vote in federal elections for all citizens regardless of their criminal record.

In a statement, Pressley said the legislation was necessary due to policies and court rulings that “continue to disenfranchise voters from all walks of life — including by gutting the Voting Rights Act, gerrymandering, cuts to early voting, and more.” Welch called the bill necessary due to “antiquated state felony disenfranchisement laws.”

In late 2022, approximately 4.6 million people were unable to vote due to a felony conviction, according to a study by the Sentencing Project, a nonpartisan research group. The same study found that Black and Hispanic citizens are disproportionately likely to be disenfranchised due to felony

  • morphballganon@lemmy.world
    664·
    1 year ago

    Convicted of drug crime? Should never lose right to vote.

    Convicted of violent crime? Should regain right to vote upon release.

    Convicted of trying to overturn an election? Never get to vote again.

    • query@lemmy.world
      44·
      1 year ago

      They should all be able to vote. From prison, too. The punishment never needs to be to take their voting rights away. If they commit fraud, stop them from committing fraud again.

      • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
        124·
        1 year ago

        I think if you’re overthrowing the government, you’re basically tapping out of the democracy. That’s literally the only crime I could see not being allowed to vote. I also think they should be removed from the country they tried to destroy. But then I have no idea how would they remain detained in that situation.

          • Jax@sh.itjust.works
            34·
            1 year ago

            So we just make them legitimate sovereign citizens?

            What happens when they start to organize and try to create a new country within the United States?

            Edit: weird downvotes, I’m asking questions

            • Mobiuthuselah@lemm.ee
              5·
              1 year ago

              What’s your understanding of “sovereign citizen”? Asking in good faith.

              I mean, we have Amish in the US. That’s a kind of sovereign citizen, right?

              • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
                1·
                1 year ago

                The Amish are just members of a fairly extreme religion. They don’t reject the existence of government itself. Sovereign citizens are people that believe they aren’t subject to the laws of the country the reside in.

              • Jax@sh.itjust.works
                1·
                1 year ago

                Well I’m basing it off of the google definition…

                Sovereign citizens believe they are not under the jurisdiction of the federal government and consider themselves exempt from U.S. law. They use a variety of conspiracy theories and falsehoods to justify their beliefs and their activities, some of which are illegal and violent.

                I mean we’d basically be making them the same thing, no? Only legitimate?

      • logicbomb@lemmy.world
        6·
        1 year ago

        I’d prefer compulsory voting from all able people of voting age. Prisons should have full in-person voting locations with private voting booths. Mail-in ballots should be a freely available option for all.

        It doesn’t guarantee good results, but I feel it is the most straightforward way to rid ourselves of voter suppression campaigns, which I think are fundamentally evil.