Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont have introduced legislation that would guarantee the right to vote in federal elections for all citizens convicted of a felony.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont submitted the legislation, named the Inclusive Democracy Act, on Tuesday which would guarantee the right to vote in federal elections for all citizens regardless of their criminal record.

In a statement, Pressley said the legislation was necessary due to policies and court rulings that “continue to disenfranchise voters from all walks of life — including by gutting the Voting Rights Act, gerrymandering, cuts to early voting, and more.” Welch called the bill necessary due to “antiquated state felony disenfranchisement laws.”

In late 2022, approximately 4.6 million people were unable to vote due to a felony conviction, according to a study by the Sentencing Project, a nonpartisan research group. The same study found that Black and Hispanic citizens are disproportionately likely to be disenfranchised due to felony

    • Jax@sh.itjust.works
      36·
      1 year ago

      So we just make them legitimate sovereign citizens?

      What happens when they start to organize and try to create a new country within the United States?

      Edit: weird downvotes, I’m asking questions

      • _dev_null@lemmy.zxcvn.xyz
        9·
        1 year ago

        Make a new permanent US penal colony, call it New Australia, located in Texas. TX as been wanting to secede anyway, let’s give them a helping hand. Deport all seditionists there with all visa/passport privileges being revoked.

        And the final chef’s-kiss: Enact all of the cruel immigration laws against New Australia that they’ve been wanting so bad, see how they like it.

        • Jax@sh.itjust.works
          2·
          1 year ago

          Hmmm, the more I think about it the more I like this plan. I vote for New Australia. It fits U.S. naming conventions too!

      • Mobiuthuselah@lemm.ee
        61·
        1 year ago

        What’s your understanding of “sovereign citizen”? Asking in good faith.

        I mean, we have Amish in the US. That’s a kind of sovereign citizen, right?

        • Jax@sh.itjust.works
          1·
          1 year ago

          Well I’m basing it off of the google definition…

          Sovereign citizens believe they are not under the jurisdiction of the federal government and consider themselves exempt from U.S. law. They use a variety of conspiracy theories and falsehoods to justify their beliefs and their activities, some of which are illegal and violent.

          I mean we’d basically be making them the same thing, no? Only legitimate?

        • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
          1·
          1 year ago

          The Amish are just members of a fairly extreme religion. They don’t reject the existence of government itself. Sovereign citizens are people that believe they aren’t subject to the laws of the country the reside in.