At the urging of more than two dozen civil rights groups, an important piece of legislation was introduced in the Senate today that would give the democratic voice back to millions of citizens.
The Democracy Restoration Act of 2011 (S. 2017), introduced today by Sen. Ben Cardin, would restore voting rights in federal elections to people who are out of prison and living in their communities. This summer, Rep. John Conyers introduced the bill to the House, where it remains pending.
Now, the civil rights coalition–including Project Vote, the ACLU, NAACP, and Brennan Center for Justice, among dozens of others–are pressing members of Congress to support the bill that would help enfranchise at least four million citizens who are currently denied the right to vote, despite the fact that they have served their time.
“The United States is one of the few western democratic nations that excludes such large numbers of people from the democratic process,” the groups note in a letter to members of Congress. “Congressional action is needed to restore voting rights in federal elections to the millions of Americans who have been released from incarceration, but continue to be denied their ability to fully participate in civic life.”
“The bill is also quite timely in light of the current voting rights climate in this country,” write The Brennan Center for Justice’s Nicole Austin-Hillery and Nic Riley at the Hill‘s Congress Blog. “With so many states doubling down on new voting restrictions that subject voters to onerous photo ID rules, saddle them with proof-of-citizenship requirements, and hinder voter registration drives, members of Congress have grown particularly concerned about the direction in which our democracy is currently headed.”
“While federal lawmakers should continue to investigate the effects of these new state laws, they should take affirmative steps to promote political participation, as well,” they write.