Ask your lawmaker to support the RACE ACT

Felony disenfranchisement is a relic of the Jim Crow era. Today in Illinois, 55% of people in prison are Black despite Black people making up only 15% of the state’s overall population. Disenfranchising people in prison silences community members, without making anyone safer.

With over 80 organizations, the Unlock Civics Coaliton is advocating for the RACE ACT which would expand civics education in Illinois' prisons and restore voting rights to people in prison.

When people in prison cannot vote, influence policy, or hold elected officials accountable, things like inhumane prison conditions, problematic judges, and “tough-on-crime” policies persist more easily.

If passed, it would make Illinois the first state to restore voting rights to people in prison, joining Maine, Vermont, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico as places in the U.S. that allow incarcerated citizens to vote.

Tell Illinois' elected leaders that it's time Illinois restore voting rights to community members in prison.

Why is this important?

The lives of people in prison are influenced by elected officials' policies, and those elected are held accountable by their constituents. Until people in prison are given the right to vote, making up the constituency, they are unable to hold elected officials accountable.

By supporting the Reintegration and Civic Empowerment Act, we can create a more inclusive democracy and promote positive change for individuals and communities across Illinois.

Letter Campaign by
Freddie Desrosiers
Freddie Desrosiers
Chicago, Illinois