Oregon poised to expand voting to prisoners

The state of Oregon is considering expanding voting rights to prisoners. The full state legislature will vote on the proposal in June, and it is expected to pass since Democrats hold a supermajority in both the House and Senate. If approved, Oregon would become the third state, following Maine and Vermont, to allow prisoners to vote while serving time. Washington D.C. also has similar laws that allow prisoners to vote.

The bill, SB 579, aims to make voting rights consistent for all adults, irrespective of their place of residence or incarceration. The proposal stipulates that a registered voter who is incarcerated in a local correctional or youth correctional facility will still be considered registered in their home county.

While Democrats are pushing for the expansion of voting rights, Republicans argue that allowing prisoners to vote would give violent criminals a say in the state’s politics. The opposition also suggested that the full implementation of this policy could result in the inherent risk of vote-buying within the prison system.

Currently, Oregon and 21 other states revoke the right to vote for anyone imprisoned but immediately restore it upon release. Fifteen states have a waiting period before restoration, while 11 have permanent voting removal for some crimes.

Republicans voiced concerns that the proposal might grant violent criminals substantial power in state politics. Democratic lawmakers have described the move to extend voting rights as an essential step toward establishing consistency in democracy, allowing all eligible adults to vote regardless of where they are serving time.

Overall, the bill has met with mixed responses as several [states] have different approaches to restoring voting rights to prisoners.

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