You can read the full story at The Washington Post:
A group of D.C. lawmakers wants to make the nation’s capital the first jurisdiction to restore voting rights to felons while they’re still incarcerated.
Council member Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large), with a majority of the 13-member body, plans to introduce legislation Tuesday to repeal language in a 1955 law that disenfranchises D.C. residents upon felony convictions. Every state except Maine and Vermont has stripped voting rights from prisoners.
“Unfortunately in the District and across the country, incarcerated people make up a sizable population of residents,” White said. “They don’t lose their citizenship when they are incarcerated, so they shouldn’t lose their right to vote.”
The District is among jurisdictions with the fewest restrictions regarding felons and voting. Felons in the District and 14 states automatically regain their voting rights when they are released from prison, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Elections officials visit the D.C. jail to help residents who are awaiting trial cast absentee ballots.
