Capitol Alert
Initiative to restore voting rights to Californians on parole heads to November ballot
Voters will decide this November whether to restore voting rights for Californians on parole after state lawmakers approved a proposal Wednesday to place that question on the ballot.
On a 28-9 initial vote, the state Senate sent Assembly Constitutional Amendment 6 to the Nov. 3 ballot, opening a possibility for more than 40,000 formerly incarcerated residents to regain their voting ability before they finish their probationary period.
State Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, said ACA 6 would allow people on parole to reintegrate into and become a “contributing member to society.”
“People on parole are our family members, our colleagues, our neighbors, our friends,” Bradford said. “They go to work every day. They pay taxes. They do their part to successfully reintegrate themselves back into society, yet the stigma exists for them.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there’s been an emerging trend to lift voting restrictions on formerly incarcerated people, though policy shifts vary by state.
Maine and Vermont allow both parolees and currently incarcerated people to vote, while 16 states and D.C. only prohibit voting for those currently serving a sentence. Twenty-one states, including both conservative and liberal regions, revoke those rights both incarcerated people and those on parole, and may require payment of fees or fines before regranting that right. Another 11 states ban formerly incarcerated people from voting “indefinitely,” according to the conference.
“The removal of the right to vote is not based in an interest in public safety,” said Taina Vargas-Edmond, executive director of Initiate Justice, an advocacy group sponsoring the bill. “Rather, it is rooted in a punitive justice belief system that intentionally attempts to rob marginalized people of their political power.”
Dozens of other organizations — many focused on racial equity — and individuals also support the measure, including California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat, and the American Civil Liberties Union of California.
State Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Tehama, however, called the amendment a “criminal injustice” proposal and said former criminals should be “subject to consequences for their behavior.”
“Let’s talk a little about the universe we are dealing with here. They include murderers, voluntary manslaughter, rape, sodomists,” Nielsen said. “For those that commit the crimes, particularly the heinous crimes, part of their sentence is to complete the parole period.”
Two moderate Democrats, state Sens. Melissa Hurtado of Sanger and Steve Glazer of Orinda, and Republican state Sen. John Moorlach of Costa Mesa abstained from voting. One Republican, state Sen. Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita, voted in favor of ACA 6.
Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, secured the necessary two-thirds majority vote in his house last September to send ACA 6 to the Senate.
“ACA 6 gives Californians the chance to right a wrong and restore voting rights for a marginalized community and people of color,” McCarty said Wednesday. “This is good for democracy and good for public safety.”
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