Lawmakers in Illinois are advancing a bill that seeks to provide incarcerated individuals voting rights in the state.
The measure, Senate Bill 828, is being sponsored by State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Ill.) and seeks to overturn the current state law, which prohibits individuals serving a sentence in a state or federal prison, county jail, or on work release, from voting. In the 2022 midterms, roughly 27,300 incarcerated individuals in the state were not eligible to vote.
Speaking to The Center Square, State Rep. LaShawn Ford, (D-Ill.) said that he supports the measure and wants Illinois to join states like Vermont and Maine, which give felons the right to vote….