About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 The Democracy Restoration Act: Fact Sheet [1] (2023)

handle is hein.brennan/dmyrstanat0001 and id is 1 raw text is: BRENNAN CENTER FACT SHEET As a standalone bill, as introduced by Senator Ben Cardin THE DEMOCRACY RESTORATION ACT WILL: Give a second chance to Americans living in our communities who are disenfranchised because of criminal convictions in their past. Catch the entire country up to 22 states, red and blue, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico where everyone living in the community already has the right tovote. Enact a simple rule that is easy to administer: Americans who are out of prison and living in the community get to vote in federal elections. Provide notice to people with past criminal convictions about their right to vote in federal elections. THIS BILL IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT: s There is no penological justification for punishing people after they have been released from prison. Restoring voting rights encourages successful reentry into our communities. * g The right to vote forms the core of American democracy. A strong, vibrant democracy requires the broadest possible base of voter participation. * sk Restoring voting rights to all Americans living in our communities would create a bright line rule that relieves confusion about who is eligible to vote in federal elections. * a Felony disenfranchisement is a relic of Jim Crow efforts to bar minorities from voting. The intended effects of these laws continue today: the disenfranchisement rate for Black citizens is roughly four times that of all other Americans. * Denying the vote to one person has a ripple effect, dramatically decreasing the political power of urban and minority communities. Restoring voting rights would encourage the civic participation of entire families. THE DEMOCRACY RESTORATION ACT IS SOUND POLICY BECAUSE IT: Avoids confusing, rarely used carve outs that are difficult to administer for elections officials who are not trained to draw lines based on complex sentencing statuses. Is consistent with Congress's constitutional power under the Elections Clause and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. Restores voting rights to people whom the criminal justice system has already determined should be living and working among us. For more information, e-mail Sean Morales-Doyle at sean.moralesdoyle@nyu.edu

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most