Proposition 17: Letting parolees vote
What would Proposition 17 do?
Allow people on parole in California to vote.
The prop also would allow parolees to run for office if they’re registered to vote and haven’t been convicted of perjury or bribery.
California now prohibits state prisoners and parolees from voting. People serving their sentences in county jails can vote, unless they’re transferring to a state or federal prison, or they’re serving time for a parole violation. Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia allow people to vote once they’ve finished their prison sentences. Vermont and Maine let people vote while still in prison.
Why am I voting on this?
The Legislature, by a two-thirds vote, approved placing this amendment to the state constitution on your ballot.
Civic engagement will lead to fewer parolees committing other crimes; it allows them to help remove the stigma of their past. People who complete their prison sentences deserve the right to participate in a democracy.
Parole is an opportunity for violent offenders to prove they’ve been rehabilitated. Voting is a right that offenders should receive once they demonstrate they have been rehabilitated; not before.
Who's for it:
League of Women Voters in California
Gov. Gavin Newsom
Californians for Safety and Justice
Democratic Assemblymember Kevin McCarty of Sacramento, who introduced the constitutional amendment
Who's against it:
Crime Victims United of California
Election Integrity Project California
How is this being bankrolled?
Major Donors in Support
Patty Quillin, philanthropist and wife of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings
Susan Pritzker, philanthropist, Democratic donor and wife of Nicholas Pritzker, former CEO of the Hyatt Development Corporation
ACLU of Northern California
Major Donors in Opposition
none
