PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Tell Congress to Extend Voting Rights to All Americans
  1. Signatures
    499 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. The U.S. Senate (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The U.S. Senate
      • The U.S. House of Representatives
  2. Created By
    Elizabeth Renter
    Clayton, NC
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

It is estimated that 1 in 50 Americans are denied the right to vote because of past mistakes. Whether you are convicted for theft or a drug offense, if it is a felony, you can forever lose your right to vote. Laws restricting convicted felons from voting reach back to the Jim Crow era where tactics were employed to keep blacks out of the voting process. Despite the long since gone poll tax and literacy requirements that so obviously targeted minorities, these restrictions on felony voters are allowed to stand. It's time that changed.

On March 16 the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties heard testimony on the Democracy Restoration Act. This act would restore voting rights to millions, allowing them to participate in federal elections and have a say in who represents them. It is our hope that this piece of legislation passes through Congress and is quickly enacted. Support for legislation of this kind has continued to climb as the years pass, and has never been higher than it is now. Let your Senators and Representatives know that now is the time to ensure all Americans have the right to vote. 

Photo credit: CAVE CANEM

Recent Signatures

Democracy Restoration Act

Greetings,

Over 4 million Americans within our communities are not allowed to vote. Laws that prevent those with a felony conviction from voting run contrary to what many people in this country have fought so hard to achieve: equal voting rights. The Democracy Restoration Act seeks to change that and I ask that you support this measure.

When a citizen makes a mistake they are processed through the criminal justice system. Their sentence, whether it be probation or prison time, should not include a permanent restriction on their voting rights. Every citizen within the community, including convicted felons, should have the right to go to the polls and participate in the democratic process. Our country and your position as an elected official are based on this basic tenet of democracy and it seems common sense that the federal government should play a role in ensuring these rights are extended to all.

The right to vote can be especially important to people who have made a wrong turn in life. Ties to the community, including voting rights, are shown to positively impact a felon's chance of success within society. The sense of pride that goes hand in hand with having a say in your government is truly empowering and something the founders of this country no doubt felt as well.

The Democracy Restoration Act ensures that those people sentenced to probation will not lose their voting rights and those who spend time in prison will have those rights reinstated upon their release. When HR3335/S1516 comes before you I sincerely hope you take the millions of disenfranchised voters into account and promote equal access voting rights.

[Your name]

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