Testimony in Support of Restoring Voting Rights to People in Maryland Prisons

Maryland is one of 48 states that ban voting for persons in prison with a felony conviction. Two states, Maine and Vermont, have never disenfranchised people due to a felony conviction. The number of Maryland residents disenfranchised from voting in prison or jail due to a felony conviction numbered 16,270 as of 2024¹, while nationally, over 4 million Americans are disenfranchised.²

Maryland’s House Bill 710 would expand voting rights to persons completing their felony sentence inside of Maryland prisons and jails.

• The legislation would repeal the prohibition on voting by incarcerated adults serving a felony court–ordered sentence.
• The legislation mandates the State Board of Elections to establish a toll-free voter hotline for incarcerated individuals to receive voter information, request voter election materials, and report voting rights violations; and
• The legislation requires the State Board of Elections and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to cooperate in establishing and administering the voter hotline for incarcerated individuals.

The Sentencing Project encourages the passage of the bill as a step towards voting rights for all.

Read the full testimony submitted by Senior Director of Advocacy Nicole D. Porter before the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee.