Democrats Introduce Federal Bill to Reinstate Votes of Convicted Felons

[Geee]

Free Beacon:

A bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would restore the voting rights of convicted felons.

 

The No One Can Take Away Your Right to Vote Act of 2016 was introduced by Rep. Alan Grayson (D., Fla.) and would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to prohibit states from “disqualifying individuals convicted of criminal offenses, other than individuals convicted of murder, manslaughter, or sex crimes, from registering to vote or voting in elections for Federal office.”

 

Grayson, who is running for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Florida, said that he introduced the bill to give felons a second chance. He added that felons are entitled to equal protection under the law.

 

“It’s a bill about redemption, about giving second chances and about closure,” Grayson said. “We can’t have first-class citizens and second-class citizens in America. “Under our Constitution everyone, even convicted felons, are entitled to equal protection under the law.”

 

Florida is home to 1.5 million individuals who cannot vote due to their felony convictions—the largest number in the United States.