Illinois Lawmakers Weigh Voting Rights for People Behind Bars

Illinois state lawmakers and voting rights advocates hope to pass legislation that would restore voting rights to people in prisons, a change proponents say could help connect them “to a process that’s for the betterment of society,” reports the Chicago Sun-Times. According to an amendment to a Senate bill, a person convicted of a felony or otherwise serving a sentence in a state correctional facility “shall have his or her right to vote restored and shall be eligible to vote not later than 14 days following his or her conviction or not later than five days before the first election following the person’s confinement.”

Under current law, that right is denied until the person is released from prison. The legislation would require the state’s board of elections to work with prisons to allow for voting by mail for eligible prisoners. Opponents of the bill, including the Illinois State Board of Elections, argue the proposed measure is unconstitutional, pointing to a section that says a person’s voting rights shall be restored “not later than” completion of their sentence and arguing that the line means a person can vote after they’re released. Proponents view that as an opening to change when incarcerated people can vote.