According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 2 million felons—with a majority 1.4 million in Florida alone—will be able to vote due to new laws passed and Election Day referenda.
“Voting is the bedrock principle upon which our democracy rests," says Anthony Romero, ACLU executive director. "We are proud to have played a part in expanding voting rights to more than 2 million people in key states: by re-enfranchising 1.4 million people with prior convictions in Florida, and through a suite of voting reforms in Michigan and Nevada,”
Romero added that "these reforms enacted by these ballot referenda will have impacts for elections to come. They will help create a groundswell of energy and engagement in future elections.”
ACLU spending topped $28 million in support of reforms, according to the organization.
The Sentencing Project, an advocacy organization working toward reducing “mass incarceration” also touted reforms passed last week. “State initiatives provide an opportunity to civically engage communities on criminal justice policies and build momentum to challenge mass incarceration,” it states in its recap of the day.
In Florida, felons will be able to vote once their prison, parole or probation sentence has been completed, with the exception of those convicted of sex offenses and homicide, according to the Sentencing Project. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition helped to collect more than 800,000 signatures to qualify Florida’s Amendment 4 and get it on the ballot.
Romero spoke broadly about Election Day’s impact on civil liberty measures across the political and geographic spectrum.
“Civil liberties and civil rights were on the ballot across the country and voters responded in a big way. From expanding voting rights to protecting immigrants’ rights and transgender equity, people headed to the polls and supported civil rights and civil liberties,” Romero said. “The ACLU has always been and will continue to be on the frontlines of these fights. We felt the imperative to get involved this election cycle – because so much is at stake, especially for the marginalized communities we care about.”
Further, Louisiana, the only state where a murder conviction could come without a unanimous jury vote, approved Amendment 2, which represents a constitutional change requiring unanimity for all felony convictions, according the Sentencing Project. The measure enjoyed bipartisan support.
Colorado voters approved Amedment A, which removes provisions in the state Constitution allowing involuntary service and slavery and punishment for a crime. Meanwhile, Michigan voters approved a measure to legalize marijuana for adults over the age of 21.
Some criminal justice reforms aimed at loosening regulations, though, were defeated at the ballot box. For example, in Ohio, residents shot down Issue 1, which would have reclassified some drug offenses as misdemeanors as well as prohibited incarceration for first and second offenses, according to the Sentencing Project.
California and Oklahoma had previously approved similar initiatives as a means of reducing their prison populations.