PROP 17—FREE VOTE —VOTE YES

26 Oct PROP 17—FREE VOTE —VOTE YES

By Community Coalition’s Member-Led Political Education Committee
Ana Carrion
Minzita Fernandez
Atala Giraldo
Jairo Giron
Rodrigo Moreno
Maria Rutledge
Pastor Byron Smith
Joy Stalworth
Christina Starks
Latia Suttles
Cordie Williams-Moss

Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole Amendment

Currently, the California Constitution disqualifies people with felonies from voting until they have completed their term of imprisonment and parole. The ballot measure would amend the state constitution to allow people with felonies, who are on parole, to vote.  Imprisonment would still disqualify someone from voting, but those on parole will have their voting rights restored.  If passed, Prop 17 will restore voting rights to approximately 50,000 Californians currently on parole.

Supporters

Officials:
Kamala D. Harris (D) – U.S. Senator
Alex Padilla (D) – Secretary of State 
Steven Bradford (D) – State Senator
Scott Wiener (D) – State Senator
Holly Mitchel (D) – State Senator 
Rob Bonta (D) – Assemblymember
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D) – Assemblymember
Ash Kalra (D) – Assemblymember
Kevin Mullin (D) – Assemblymember
Shirley Webner (D) – Assemblymember
Wendy Carillo (D) – Assemblymember
Mike Gipson (D) – Assemblymember
Kevin McCarthy (D) – Assemblymember
Mark Stone (D) – Assemblymember

Organizations:
ACLU of California 
League of Women Voters of California

Opponents

Officials
Jim Nielsen (R) – State Senator

Analysis

Pros:  Actionnetwork.org : Nearly 50,000 Californians who have returned home from prison cannot vote even though they are raising families, holding jobs, paying taxes, and contributing to society in every other way. They should be encouraged to reenter society and have a stake in their community, not be punished by having their voting rights denied. Prop 17 will right this injustice and restore voting rights to Californians returning home from prison.

Cons: State Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-4): “Let’s talk a little about the universe we are dealing with here. They include murderers, voluntary manslaughter, rape, sodomists. For those that commit the crimes, particularly the heinous crimes, part of their sentence is to complete the parole period.” [Source]

Why Does It Matter to South LA?

Biases in the criminal justice system mean that poor people and people of color are more likely than others to be convicted of crimes and to lose their voting rights, while wealthy people can always afford the best lawyers. Because of persistent and systematic racial inequalities in our criminal legal system, three out of four men leaving California prisons are Black, Latino, or Asian American.

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