Yes on Prop 17
San Jose, CA
Prop 17 will restore voting rights in California. Prop 17 will amend the California Constitution so that Californians who have completed their prison term can fully participate in our democracy by restoring their right to vote.
Right now 50,000 Californians who have completed their prison term can't vote.
Nearly 50,000 Californians who have returned home from prison can’t vote even though they are raising families, holding jobs, paying taxes, and contributing to society in every other way. They should be encouraged to reenter society and have a stake in their community, not be punished by having their voting rights denied. Prop 17 will right this injustice and restore voting rights to Californians returning home from prison.
Democracy needs everyone. Biases in the criminal justice system mean that poor people and people of color are more likely than others to be convicted of crimes and to lose their voting rights, while wealthy people can always afford the best lawyers. Because of persistent and systematic racial inequalities in our criminal legal system, three out of four men leaving California prisons are Black, Latino, or Asian American. This means California’s constitution disproportionately locks people of color out of the voting booth. We can’t have an elected government that represents all of us when some members of our community are being excluded from our elections and denied the ability to participate in our democracy.
Civic engagement makes communities stronger. When people feel that they are valued members of their community, and that their voices matter and concerns are addressed, they are less likely to re-engage in criminal activity. Evidence shows that people who are able to become civically engaged in their communities after they are released are actually three times more likely to never be arrested again.
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