Tell Congress: Guarantee voting rights to EVERY American citizen by passing the Inclusive Democracy Act.
John, voting is a right – NOT a privilege.
Every American deserves to be heard in our democracy – and have our voices matter in decisions that affect our family, friends, and community. But right now felony disenfranchisement laws deny 4.4 million Americans this fundamental right.
It’s time to fix this broken system and ensure EVERY citizen has a voice in our democracy. A new bill called the Inclusive Democracy Act would do just that, restoring full voting rights for federal elections to all Americans with felony convictions. [1]
If you agree it’s time to ensure EVERY American has an equal say in our democracy, join us and tell Congress to pass the Inclusive Democracy Act >>
Felony disenfranchisement laws have a shameful history dating back to Jim Crow – when white segregationist politicians did all they could to deny Black citizens their newly-obtained right to vote.
Just look at Alabama – where white lawmakers declared openly in the early 1900’s that they wanted to establish white supremacy with felony disenfranchisement. By passing harsh felony disenfranchisement laws that included a broad range of crimes, they denied Black men their voting rights for “moral turpitude,” “vagrancy,” and other trivial charges. [2]
Today, laws vary state to state – with some granting full voting rights to currently and formerly incarcerated citizens, and others denying those rights based on those same Jim Crow-era policies.
And worse, politicians in some states like Florida design deliberately confusing rules where even local officials can’t tell for sure whether someone has lost their right to vote – with the voter risking going back to jail if they guess wrong! [3]
Because of these confusing rules in Florida, and across the country, it's estimated that upwards of 18 million eligible Americans do not vote each year because of confusion about their rights. [4]
The Inclusive Democracy Act would end this injustice for good. It’s time to end these Jim Crow leftovers and invite ALL citizens to fully participate in our democracy – not threaten them with prosecution for simple voting mistakes.
John, it’s on us to speak up for what’s right. I hope you’ll join me in calling on Congress to pass the Inclusive Democracy Act and ensure all Americans have an equal voice in shaping our democracy.
Thanks for all you do,
Keshia Morris Desir, Justice & Democracy Manager
and the team at Common Cause
P.S. Help us respect your inbox! We occasionally partner with like-minded groups for campaigns like this. If you'd rather just hear from us on Common Cause-only campaigns – please fill out this one-click form, and we’ll remove you from these emails.
[1] https://www.commoncause.org/press-release/national-voting-in-prison-coalition-praises-the-landmark-introduction-of-inclusive-democracy-act-of-2023/
[2] https://www.commoncause.org/page/zero-disenfranchisement/
[3] https://www.npr.org/2023/05/04/1173786694/felon-voting-database-florida-registration-card-disclaimer
[4] https://campaignlegal.org/restoreyourvote
