PA Looks To Help Felony Ex-Convicts Vote

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania lawmakers are looking at ways to encourage ex-convicts to vote, citing both the broad need for greater civic engagement and a desire to improve the process of prisoners reentering society.

Voting rights of incarcerated individuals are restricted to varying degrees by Pennsylvania law, depending on the nature of the crime committed and where the individual case stands in the adjudication process. Felons are not allowed to vote while in jail, while those incacerated on misdemeanors sometimes can.

Others are unaware of their rights when they do finally get released.

"Giving formerly incarcerated individuals the opportunity to be civically engaged can help their transition back into their communities," State Rep. Joe Webster (D-Montgomery) wrote in a co-sponsorship memorandum for the bill.

The forthcoming legislation would require anyone preparing for discharge to either complete a voter registration application or fill out a form declining an application before they can be released.

Webster cited research that pointed to more trust in government the criminal justice system from formerly incarcerated individuals when they are "encouraged" to register and vote. The benefits go on from there, he argues.

"The results suggest that restoring voting rights to disenfranchised citizens helps those citizens develop the types of pro-democratic attitudes commonly associated with successful post-prison re-entry, reduced tendencies to commit crime, and lower rates of recidivism," Webster notes.

Several matters related to prison life and reentry have been the subject of debate in Pennsylvania recently. Wages for imprisoned individuals in Pennsylvania were increased by 20 percent for 2023. The Pennsylvania Prison Society and other advocates are also pressuring the Department of Corrections to reopen prison dining halls so that prisoners have access to nutritious food.