Last year, lawmakers, community organizations, and religious, civil rights, and racial justice leaders undertook an important effort to restore voting rights to thousands of Marylanders who are currently unable to participate in our democracy due to a prior conviction. Restoration bills passed out of the Maryland General Assembly in April 2015. Unfortunately, Governor Hogan vetoed the bills a month later. The General Assembly now has the opportunity to override the veto and restore voting rights to thousands of otherwise eligible Marylanders who have rejoined their communities.
The legislation provides the right to vote upon release from imprisonment, before completion of parole or probation. In Maryland alone, approximately 40,000 people live in their communities, but are denied the fundamental right to vote simply because of a past conviction. These ex-offenders live, work, and participate in their communities. Civic participation can play an important role in making people feel included and invested in their communities and thus more likely to respect the law. Instead, Governor Hogan’s actions serve no purpose but to further isolate those attempting to rebuild their lives.
It is notable that legislators approved these bills the same month Freddie Gray died in police custody, sparking community outrage in Baltimore, greater Maryland, and throughout the nation. Movements like Black Lives Matter stem not just from allegations of police brutality, but from frustration with an entire system plagued with inequities. Study after study shows that people of color are more likey to be searched by police, more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and more likely to receive longer sentences. Thus, Governor Hogan’s action is all the more disturbing as it shows either willful ignorance or a glaring lack of concern about the racial disparities in our criminal justice system. Additionally, depriving voting rights based on past crimes further distorts representation in traditionally underrepresented communities. In fact, one group, Communities United, has noted that Freddie Gray’s neighborhood had the highest rate of disenfranchisement in the state.
Project Vote is proud to stand with the numerous national and local organizations and leaders calling for a veto override. (See our letters to House Speaker Busch and Senate President Miller.) Now is the time for Maryland lawmakers to demonstrate that they—and the people of Maryland—stand for expanding voting rights. A free and fair society requires the robust inclusion of community members in the political process. General Assembly members have the chance to do the right thing and stand up to the governor.