news
May 20, 2019
Disenfranchisement News: Florida lawmakers pass new “poll tax” for voting rights restoration
Lawmakers in Florida pass bill creating financial barrier to rights restoration, Iowa Senate blocks voting rights constitutional amendment bill, and more in our latest Disenfranchisement News.
news
May 13, 2019
Opinion: Prisoners should be allowed to vote
As extreme as is our rate of incarceration in the United States, so too are our felony disenfranchisement laws by the standards of comparable nations. As of 2016, an estimated 6.1 million people were denied the right to vote due to a current or previous felony conviction. Of this total 1.3 million were incarcerated in state or federal prisons.
Denver Schimming
As a previously incarcerated person who had his voting rights restored in 1996, Denver Schimming knew the power and importance of voting. His years in prison taught him that the criminal justice system could change only if impacted people spoke out. After his incarceration, voting was one of his highest priorities.
publications
April 09, 2019
Letter in Support of the Democracy Restoration Act
The Sentencing Project urges Senate to prioritize passage of the Democracy Restoration Act.
news
April 04, 2019
Disenfranchisement News: Florida GOP pushes bills to limit voter eligibility under Amendment 4
Republican lawmakers in Florida push bills to limit voter eligibility under Amendment 4, legislation would restore voting rights after incarceration in Minnesota, and more in our latest Disenfranchisement News.
Kimberly Haven
Kimberly Haven’s journey as an advocate began when she sought to regain her own voting rights after release from a Maryland prison in 2001. She soon became passionate about the unfairness of disenfranchising citizens after they have completed their sentence and returned to the community.
publications
April 02, 2019
The Next Step: Ending Excessive Punishment for Violent Crimes
The Next Step highlights 15 reforms in 19 states implemented over the past two decades that have produced more effective, fiscally sound, and humane policies for people convicted of violent crimes.
publications
March 04, 2019
The Sentencing Project Urges Congress to Support the Democracy Restoration Act
The Sentencing Project urges Congress to support the Democracy Restoration Act and oppose all amendments and/or a motion to recommit to remove this provision from H.R. 1.
Marlo Hargrove and David Waller
Marlo Hargrove and David Waller both successfully regained their voting rights after receiving felony convictions and serving their sentences.
news
March 01, 2019
State Advocacy News: Expanding Racial Impact Statements
Seven states – Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma, and Vermont – have introduced legislation this year to require racial impact statements.
news
February 01, 2019
State Advocacy News: Strategies to end life imprisonment, expand the vote, and strengthen reentry policies
Since Florida's success with the passage of Amendment 4, lawmakers and advocates in California, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Jersey and Kentucky have advanced proposals to restore voting rights.
Andres Idarraga
After his release in June of 2004, Andres Idarraga became a full-time student at Brown University studying comparative literature and economics while maintaining full-time employment. Idarraga saw his right to vote as a significant and crucial aspect to rebuilding his life and to contributing to his community.
publications
January 28, 2019
Letter to House Judiciary Committee Members on Voting Rights for People after Incarceration
The Sentencing Project urges House Judiciary Committee Members to prioritize passage of the Democracy Restoration Act.
news
January 22, 2019
Disenfranchisement News: After win in Florida, Iowa and Kentucky consider reform
After the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, Kentucky and Iowa are now considering voting rights restoration.
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