* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Holton
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
In Support of State Legislation - Senate Bill 488 - Voter Registration Protection Act
FOR the purpose of supporting this legislation that would restore voter registration rights to ex-felons who have completed the court-ordered sentences imposed for their convictions; urging the Honorable Chairs and Members of the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee to give the legislation a favorable report; requesting the Chairs and Members of the Baltimore City Senate and House Delegations to the Maryland General Assembly to support passage of the legislation; and petitioning the Governor to sign the measure into law.
Body
Recitals
The Sentencing Project, a national non-profit organization that promotes sentencing reform and conducts research on criminal justice issues, reports that, nationally, an estimated 5.3 million Americans are denied the right to vote because of laws that prohibit voting by people with felony convictions and that this fundamental obstacle to participation in democratic life is exacerbated by racial disparities in the criminal justice system, resulting in an estimated 13% of African American men - 1.4 million - unable to vote.
In Losing the Vote: The Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States, a joint report of officials of The S...
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