The legislation, S. 8 filed by Senator Liz Miranda and Adam Gomez and H. 26 filed by Representative Erika Uyterhoeven, will return voting rights to those incarcerated in prisons in Massachusetts.
Today’s vote follows a historic committee hearing on April 6th that included testimony from both formerly and currently incarcerated advocates.
BOSTON — Since it was first filed in 2019, legislation to return the right to vote to all those incarcerated in Massachusetts failed to advance out of committee.
That changed today: The committee, now chaired by Senator John Keenan and Representative Dan Ryan, reported re-enfranchisement bills S.8 and H.26 out favorably. In doing so, they sent a clear message that it is time for the legislature to re-evaluate Massachusetts’ punitive, regressive decision to strip the right to vote from incarcerated people in 2000.
Advocates in the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition (DBBC), which is led by organizers in the MCI-Norfolk-based African American Coalition Committee (AACC), praise the committee for their bold leadership on this issue and its implications for racial justice, equity, and democratic rights.
“I was thrilled to hear the news of this vote,” says Sean ‘Truth’ Evelyn, DBBC Organizer, former AACC member, and Founder of the Explanations from Exile Project. “This decision offers a meaningful sense of hope for this vulnerable demographic to actually advocate for themselves and their families. I see the Commonwealth placing a higher valuation on democracy and redemption, and I’m heartened by that.”
“Today, the Election Laws Committee made an unequivocal statement: Massachusetts must tear down barriers to the ballot that disproportionately keep Black, Latinx, and low-income communities from the ballot,” says Pastor Hobbs, Executive Director of Healing Our Land, Inc. “Today’s vote was a bold, courageous step — and one that Massachusetts voters are ready for.”
"For many years,” he continues, “I have organized voter access and turnout in the Suffolk County House of Corrections. I have witnessed over and over again the positive impact of voting for our brothers and sisters behind the wall. There is no reason to keep that experience from those in prison — and I'm thrilled that we are headed to giving the right to vote back."
The DBBC and AACC especially thank Senator Liz Miranda, Senator Adam Gomez, and Representative Erika Uyterhoeven, who filed and have championed the legislation. Today’s vote also follows a historic April 6th committee hearing, during which incarcerated advocates including Corey ‘Al-Ameen’ Patterson, former Chairman of the AACC, testified remotely. He and others stressed the substantive and symbolic importance of being able to participate in elections.
“We have to get it out of our minds that blanket disenfranchisement is an appropriate consequence for incarcerated citizens,” says Corey ‘Al-Ameen’ Patterson, AACC former Chairman and longtime champion of the issue. “It’s not a deterrent to crime, nor does it provide any recognizable benefit to the Commonwealth. Its impact serves to perpetuate the narrative that Massachusetts is not serious about eliminating racial disparities; and it undermines the value Massachusetts places on freedom of speech. Without freedom of speech at the ballot box, incarcerated people have little to no means of holding accountable our far from perfect criminal legal system.”
Voting rights for all incarcerated people were in place until 2000.
They were stripped away — disenfranchising 1.5% of Black adults in Massachusetts — as retaliation for civic engagement initiatives by incarcerated organizers in MCI-Norfolk working to redress deleterious prison conditions. Ever since, organizers in MCI-Norfolk have continued working to strengthen political representation for incarcerated people, and to regain the right to vote. In 2018, the AACC drafted and filed the first jail-based voting bill. It was re-filed in 2019 by Representative Russel Holmes, and ultimately championed by now-Senator Liz Miranda and Representative Chynah Tyler. The bill was enacted into law in summer 2022 as part of the VOTES Act.
“Our country was fought for freedom and liberty,” says Raphael Martinez, AACC Member. “For me, this is not about letting criminals get away with anything. It’s about our fundamental rights and beliefs that are being threatened even on the national level…plus our families and our communities suffer from this neglect of our fundamental rights. Today is not just about my voice: it’s about the many voices from behind these walls being heard.”
“Today, I am optimistic that the public and our elected lawmakers are decidedly ready to re-evaluate and reform the punitive, purposeless, and harmful policies of the tough-on-crime era,” said Kristina Mensik, organizer with the DBBC. “Last session, the legislature took action to end the de-facto disenfranchisement of eligible incarcerated and formerly incarcerated voters. Now the natural and just next step is to substantively re-evaluate whether the disenfranchisement of any incarcerated person makes our communities safer or our criminal legal system more just. I strongly believe it does not”
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The Democracy Behind Bars Coalition (DBBC) is a coalition of advocacy and community organizations, direct service and religious groups, and individuals committed to ensuring that democracy does not stop at prisons and jails in Massachusetts.
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