We cannot take a strong democracy for granted.

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John,

We cannot take a strong democracy for granted. We must continually fight to ensure that everyone in our community is included and has a voice in our democratic system, no matter their race, zip code, income, or political beliefs. We must value every voice and every vote because when more people are engaged, our democracy and the environment win.

The start of this year's Washington State legislative session brings a new opportunity for us to strengthen our democracy with the passage of the Voting Rights Restoration Bill (HB 1078 and SB 5086). This bill would restore the right to vote for everyone living in our communities once they are no longer incarcerated. As it stands now, thousands of Washingtonians are denied the right to vote because they are impacted by the criminal legal system. These Washingtonians have a valued voice that is needed for our democracy to be truly representative of everyone whose lives are impacted by our political system.

To learn more about voting rights restoration and the bill currently moving through the legislature now — written by people who are directly impacted by this policy — you can watch this recording of a recent community webinar on the subject. [[link removed]]

Racial and economic discrimination in our voting system dates back to poll taxes, literacy tests, and other Jim Crow-era voting laws. These laws did not directly state that they were meant to discriminate against Black voters, but they had a very targeted impact based on race and class — just like we see now with our current voting laws. Our criminal legal system is full of racial biases and because of that, Black, Indigenous, and low-income Washingtonians are more likely to lose their voting rights.

To move towards a more inclusive democracy, we must ensure that the fundamental right to vote is not rooted in anti-democratic and racist laws. Twenty other states already allow everyone living in the community to vote once they are no longer incarcerated. This policy already has broad support across Washington State — from criminal justice experts, survivor groups, and the Department of Corrections — and would move us towards the more equitable and inclusive democracy we all envision.

We will keep you posted as we have updates on this important legislation, but wanted to reach out and share these resources and information so that you have the knowledge you need to take action to restore voting rights this legislative session.

Onward,

Emily Krieger

Political Manager

Washington Conservation Voters

1402 Third Avenue, Suite 1400 | Seattle, WA 98101

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