Momentum builds for letting people vote while on parole Advocates say the recent national focus on voting rights and racial justice is helping momentum build in Washington state for a measure to let people vote while they're on paroleSEATTLE -- As a young man Victor Sauceda didn’t care about who was president, about who was governor, about voting at all. In New York, tens of thousands of people on parole have received pardons that restored their voting rights under a 2018 executive order by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, even though state law otherwise bars those on parole from voting. “Voting rights disenfranchisement is really tied to racial injustice, to using criminal record as a proxy for race,” Simmons said, crediting local activists including the Washington Voting Rights Restoration Coalition with continuing to work with lawmakers after the measure stalled. There are about 10,000 people on community supervision in Washington who aren't able to vote, according to the Brennan Center.

Source: ABC News December 11, 2020 18:46 UTC