Pressley, Welch introduce legislation to guarantee Right to Vote for people with felonies on record

Congressional Democrats have introduced legislation that would allow people convicted of a felony to vote in federal elections, a proposal that, if enacted, could restore the voting rights of millions of people in U.S. elections.

- Matt Brown

Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont submitted the legislation, named the Inclusive Democracy Act, on Tuesday, which would guarantee the right to vote in federal elections for all citizens regardless of their criminal record.

In a statement, Pressley said the legislation was necessary due to policies and court rulings that "continue to disenfranchise voters from all walks of life - including by gutting the Voting Rights Act, gerrymandering, cuts to early voting, and more." Welch called the bill necessary due to "antiquated state felony disenfranchisement laws." In late 2022, approximately 4.6 million people were unable to vote due to a felony conviction, according to a study by the Sentencing Project, a nonpartisan research group. The same study found that Black and Hispanic citizens are disproportionately likely to be disenfranchised due to felony convictions.