Join the Gamaliel Transformational Justice in Action Campaign on Friday, February 19, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT) for a briefing on a critical part of H.R. 1, We the People Act, which was introduced recently in the U.S. House of Representatives. As you know from the Transformational Justice Platform we recently released, one of our priorities in 2021 is restoring voting rights for people with felony convictions. It is our understanding that H.R. 1 includes legislation that would restore those rights.
The briefing will be hosted via Zoom Webinar and streamed live on Gamaliel’s Facebook page. You must register in advance. Once you have registered you will receive information about how to join the webinar.
The briefing will provide an overview of the legislation, along with testimonies from impacted people. TJA leaders are inviting staff members from their elected representatives’ offices to join the briefing.
The Democracy Restoration Act—the legislative text that is included in H.R. 1—would restore the right to vote to people with felony convictions for federal elections. (That is, no matter what their state law is, anyone who has finished their time of incarceration would be able to vote for President, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.) Gamaliel recognizes that the legislation is not perfect—ideally, people should never lose their right to vote in the first place, and it should apply to every level of elections—but it is a huge step in the right direction. For more information about the legislation, you can view a description of the Democracy Restoration Action from the Brennan Center.