(Weber) Floor: 41-37-2
co-authors: Mitchell, Gonzalez
Allowing low-level, nonviolent felons to vote reduces the number of people that return to jail, because it provides these people with a meaningful role in society as they begin the reintegration process. Under the California Constitution, those who are currently in prison or on parole for a felony are not allowed to vote. However, in 2011, a new law was enacted to help reduce overcrowding in prisons. Some people convicted of low-level felonies may now, because of this new law, be serving sentences in county jails, under mandatory supervision, or under post-release community supervision. AB2466 gives these individuals the right to vote, helping to end voting discrimination. As three out of four men in California prison are men of color, this bill not only expands the rights of nonviolent felons but also those of people of color.