Our democracy is rooted in the idea that everyone’s voice matters. But right now, nearly 50,000 Californians on parole are unable to vote in local, state, or federal elections.
Voter suppression tactics consistently exclude Black and Brown people from our democracy. Felony disenfranchisement is a form of voter suppression that is rooted in racially discriminatory Jim Crow laws, which have suppressed the Black vote for the last century and a half. After the Civil War, California refused to ratify the 15th Amendment, which prohibits voting restrictions based on race, and instead included felony disenfranchisement in the state constitution.
We can move California forward and past this shameful chapter in our state’s history by passing Assembly Constitutional Amendment 6. ACA 6 will ask California voters to restore the right to vote to people on parole in the 2020 ballot. ACA 6 is accompanied by AB 646, which enacts corresponding changes to California’s Elections Code. Our democracy is stronger when it is fair and inclusive. It’s time to free the vote for formerly incarcerated people in California. It’s time to pass ACA 6.
Author(s):
Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento)
Sponsors:
ACLU of California, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, All of Us or None, Californians United for a Responsible Budget, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, Initiate Justice, League of Women Voters of California, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, People Over Profits San Diego, Vote Allies, and White People for Black Lives.
Take action: Ask your CA senator to support ACA 6.
Bill Status [Active]
Updates
Passed - Assembly Floor (09.05.19)
Approved - Assembly Appropriations (07.10.19)
Approved - Assembly Elections Committee (06.19.19)
Introduced (01.28.19)
