Testimony in Support of Restoring Voting Rights to People in Massachusetts Prisons and Jails
Nicole D. Porter testified in support of H 63 and S 7, legislation that would guarantee voting rights for all persons completing their sentence inside Massachusetts prisons and jails regardless of their crime of conviction.
Related to: Voting Rights, State Advocacy
The number of Massachusetts residents disenfranchised from voting in prison and jail numbered over 7,300 as of 20241, while nationally, more than 4 million Americans are disenfranchised.
Massachusetts is among a growing number of states and jurisdictions that have worked to guarantee voting rights to incarcerated voters regardless of conviction status. In 2021, Massachusetts’ lawmakers adopted the VOTES Act which guaranteed ballot access to eligible voters completing misdemeanor sentences in jail or detained pretrial.2
Enacting H 63 and S 7 would be part of Massachusetts’ long arc to guarantee voting rights for persons impacted by the criminal legal system. Since 1997, 26 states and the District of Columbia have expanded voting rights to people living with felony convictions. As a result, over 2 million Americans have regained the right to vote.3
The Sentencing Project urges a favorable report of H 63 and S 7.
Read the full testimony submitted by Senior Director of Advocacy Nicole D. Porter before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Election Laws.
| 1. | Uggen, C., Larson, R., Shannon, S., & Stewart, R. (2024). Locked out 2024: Estimates of people denied voting rights due to a felony conviction. The Sentencing Project. |
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| 2. | Lamb, A. (2021). Activists Seeking Voter Protections for Inmates. The Bay State Banner. |
| 3. | Porter, N. D., & McLeod, M. (2023). Expanding the Vote: State Felony Disenfranchisement Reforms, 1997-2023. The Sentencing Project. |
