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

  • FfaerieOxide@kbin.social
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    10 months ago

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

    While we are improving society, why concede the existence of “drug crime” in our hypotheticals?

    • Can_you_change_your_username@kbin.social
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      10 months ago

      There shouldn’t be user level drug crimes but manufacturing and distribution should be regulated fairly strictly and dealer level drug crimes can be legitimate. Dealer level drug crimes should also apply to pharmaceutical companies.