Should prisons send voting information to prisoners before elections?
This bill requires the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to provide information about voting 90 days before an Election to inmates from jurisdictions that allow inmates to vote while in custody. Specifically, before a federal, state, or local election, the BOP must send inmates voting-related information, such as how to register to vote and how to request an absentee ballot. Sponsor: Del. Eleanor Norton (Democrat, D.C. At Large)
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Opponents say
• "If you’re not willing to follow the law yourself, then you shouldn’t have a right in making the law for everyone else." Source: Roger Clegg, the president of the Center for Equal Opportunity
• “Such a policy makes perfect sense and is in the best interests of our society and local communities. As a federal judge said in 2002 in an unsuccessful case challenging Florida’s disenfranchisement law, felons are deprived of their ability to vote because of 'their own decision to commit an act for which they assume the risks of detection and punishment." Source: Hans von Spakovsky, The Heritage Foundation
Proponents say
• "It is imperative that, in accordance with laws of the jurisdictions in which they live, these inmates, like our own from the District of Columbia, be given the full range of voting information available. This bill would codify what the BOP apparently did in the 2020 election – by providing inmates with information on voter registration and how to request absentee ballots." Source: Del. Eleanor Norton (Democrat, D.C. At Large)
• "Today, I’m proud to join Congresswoman Norton and my colleagues from Maine and Vermont on a bill that would provide people in prison with information on how they can register and vote absentee. Putting up barriers for anyone to engage in civic life is undemocratic and I am hopeful that with this bill we will open up more pathways to the ballot box." Source: Rep. Chellie Pingree (Democrat, Maine, District 1)
