§ 17-9.2-2. Findings and purpose.
(a) Findings. The legislature finds that:
(1) Voting is both a fundamental right and a civic duty. Restoring the right to vote strengthens
our democracy by increasing voter participation and helps people who have completed
their incarceration to reintegrate into society. Voting is an essential part of reassuming
the duties of full citizenship.
(2) Rhode Island is the only state in New England that denies the vote to people convicted
of felonies, not only while they are in prison, but also while they are living in
the communi
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§ 17-9.2-2. Findings and purpose.
(a) Findings. The legislature finds that:
(1) Voting is both a fundamental right and a civic duty. Restoring the right to vote strengthens
our democracy by increasing voter participation and helps people who have completed
their incarceration to reintegrate into society. Voting is an essential part of reassuming
the duties of full citizenship.
(2) Rhode Island is the only state in New England that denies the vote to people convicted
of felonies, not only while they are in prison, but also while they are living in
the community under the supervision of parole or probation officials.
(3) As a result of this extended disfranchisement, Rhode Island deprives a greater proportion
of its residents of voting rights than any other state in the region. More than fifteen
thousand five hundred (15,500) Rhode Islanders have lost the right to vote because
of a felony conviction. Of these, eighty-six percent (86%) are not in prison, they
have either been released or their convictions did not result in actual incarceration.
Rhode Island has the second highest rate of people on probation in the nation.
(4) Criminal disfranchisement in Rhode Island has a disproportionate impact on minority
communities. The rate of disfranchisement of African American voters is more than
six (6) times the statewide rate. Hispanics lose the vote at more than 2.5 times the
statewide average. One in five (5) black men and one in eleven (11) Hispanic men are
barred from voting in Rhode Island. By denying so many the right to vote, criminal
disfranchisement laws dilute the political power of entire minority communities. Because
these communities are concentrated in cities, the urban vote is also suppressed, with
the rate of disfranchisement in urban areas 3.5 times the rate in the rest of the
state.
(5) Extending disfranchisement beyond a person's term of incarceration complicates the
process of restoring the right to vote. Under current law, a person may regain that
right when released from incarceration if no parole follows, when discharged from
parole, or when probation is completed. This system requires the involvement of many
government agencies in the restoration process. This bill would simplify restoration
by making people eligible to vote once they have served their time in prison, thereby
concentrating in the department of corrections the responsibility for initiating restoration
of voting rights. A streamlined restoration process conserves government resources
and saves taxpayer dollars.
(b) Purpose. The purposes of this act are to strengthen democratic institutions by increasing participation
in the voting process, to help people who have completed prison sentences to become
productive members of society, and to streamline procedures for restoring their right
to vote.