[California’s Proposition 17]
Abdi Soltani: “With the passage of Prop 17, California voters have delivered a resounding victory for voting rights and for the rights of the formerly incarcerated.”
Photo: YouTube
In a major victory for democracy and the national movement to restore the right to vote to Americans with convictions, millions of California voters today approved Proposition 17, which restores the right to vote to nearly 50,000 fellow Californians who have completed their prison terms.
“Millions of Californians voted to welcome their fellow citizens into our democracy,” said Sean Morales-Doyle, executive committee member of the Yes On Prop 17 campaign and deputy director of the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. “They put an end to a discriminatory policy that disenfranchised their neighbors — a disproportionate number of whom are Black, Latino, and Asian American. We’re excited for the momentum Prop 17’s approval will carry to the 30 other states that bar citizens living in the community from voting due to past convictions.”
“This is a victory for democracy and justice,” said Taina Vargas-Edmond, executive chair of the Yes On Prop 17 campaign and co-founder and executive director of Initiate Justice. “For far too long, Black and brown Californians have been excluded from our democracy. Today, California voters definitively righted a historic wrong. I’ll forever remember the phone call I received in 2017 from Rahsaan Thomas in San Quentin State Prison – who made it clear to me then, and has since made it clear to all Californians, that the first step to empowering people impacted by mass incarceration is to restore their right to vote. We’re grateful to the hundreds of organizations and individuals who supported this campaign, and to the millions of California voters who sent a clear message that our democracy needs everyone. 50,000 Californians now have their rightful say in our democracy.”
“Today marks the beginning of a new day for 50,000 California citizens, and a fresh slate for the state of California,” said Shay Franco-Clausen, campaign manager of the Yes On Prop 17 campaign. “We’re proud of the campaign that we ran – a campaign that was truly by and for the tens of thousands of Californians who had been disenfranchised.”
“Our country boasts that its citizens have a direct distinct voice in the conversation about its future,” said Jose Grano Gonzalez, a Los Angeles resident whose right to vote is now restored with the approval of Proposition 17. “And now thanks to millions of California voters, today we are that much closer to achieving that reality. This is a victory not just for me, but for my family, for our democracy, and for the future of our country. I’m grateful to the millions of my fellow Californians who used their voice, and voted to ensure that mine can be heard, too”
“With the passage of Prop 17, California voters have delivered a resounding victory for voting rights and for the rights of the formerly incarcerated,” said Abdi Soltani, executive committee member of the Yes On Prop 17 campaign and executive director of the ACLU of Northern California.
“Californians voted to restore dignity, hope and a voice to communities like mine,” said Veronica Hernandez, a San Francisco resident whose right to vote is now restored with the approval of Proposition 17. “I’ve worked with at-risk youth in my neighborhood to help show them that they do matter and that there is hope for the future. Millions of California voters reinforced that message and showed countless Californians that their voice does count in their democracy.”
“Thank you to the millions of Californians who voted to move us closer to a more inclusive democracy,” said Esteban Nuñez, executive committee member of the Yes On Prop 17 campaign and director of advocacy at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition. “As someone who was disenfranchised because of a conviction, I know the power of this restoration. With this historic victory, 50,000 Californians will be seen and heard more fully as members of our communities.”
“I can now look at my fellow returning citizens who I mentor on a daily basis and tell them sincerely that they matter,” said Niki Martinez, a San Diego resident whose right to vote is now restored with the approval of Proposition 17. “Another barrier to the successful reentry of 50,000 California citizens into society has been torn down. Our voices in our democracy do matter. I am so grateful, and I cannot wait to cast my vote for the first time in the next election, and in every election that comes after it.”
“The power of the vote was ripped away from tens of thousands of my brothers and sisters, and thanks to millions of California voters that power has been rightfully returned,” said Betty McKay, a Bay Area resident whose right to vote is now restored with the approval of Proposition 17. “We sent an unequivocal message: that our voices matter and that our democracy needs everyone. Thank you to all the people who supported Prop 17, and who made this victory possible!”
“There are millions of people across this country who desperately want to participate in our democracy, but have been shut out because of racist and unjust laws,” said Brett Shears, executive committee member of the Yes On Prop 17 campaign and founder of Vote Allies. “Thankfully, California voters rejected the status quo and opened the door to 50,000 of their neighbors by passing Prop 17. This bold action signals hopeful change is on the horizon. Our message to all the people for whom democracy is still out of reach: we see you, we hear you, and we’ll continue to fight for you.”
“Thank you for restoring the hope by restoring OUR right to vote,” said John Windham, a Waterford resident whose right to vote is now restored with the approval of Proposition 17.
California now joins 19 other states and Washington, D.C. in including all citizens who have completed their prison terms in their democracy.
Proposition 17’s approval comes after months protests demanding racial justice, as the nation continues to reckon with systemic racism and discrimination. The measure provided one of the first major opportunities since the protests erupted, in June, for millions of Americans to weigh in directly and in the affirmative on a tangible issue of racial justice; the overwhelming majority of those regaining their right to vote are Black, Latino, and Asian American.
This is the latest victory for democracy-expanding initiatives, and for the movement to restore the right to vote to individuals with past convictions. Over the past two years alone, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, and New York all expanded access to the ballot for those with past convictions.
The “Yes” On Prop 17 campaign was a campaign by and for the 50,000 California citizens disenfranchised due to a law enacted at the height of Jim Crow whose right to vote will now be restored. From its inception, the campaign was based on the belief that these individuals, having completed their prison term, are entitled to have their voices heard in our democracy.
The campaign’s website highlights the personal stories of Californians who have been impacted by mass incarceration and who now will regain their voice in democracy. Read more here.
Proposition 17’s approval by California voters amends California’s constitution to ensure that any otherwise eligible voter who is not currently incarcerated in prison for a felony conviction can vote. The proposition was included on this year’s ballot for consideration from voters after ACA 6, also known as the Free the Vote Act, passed each chamber of the California state legislature with two-thirds votes and bipartisan support.
The Yes On Prop 17 campaign earned the support of a diverse and broad coalition. This includes celebrities and activists like:
John Legend, Desmond Meade, Tom Steyer, and Ben & Jerry’s; state and national elected officials like Governor Gavin Newsom, Secretary of State Alex Padilla, former State Senate Pro Tempore Kevin de León, and Congressmembers Anna Eshoo, Ro Khanna, Barbara Lee, and Eric Swalwell; national advocacy groups like Black Lives Matter PAC, Color Of Change PAC, Human Rights Watch, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, R Street Institute, UnidosUS, and Voto Latino; law enforcement groups like Prosecutors Alliance of California, American Probation and Parole Association, Fair and Just Prosecution, and Law Enforcement Action Partnership; faith groups like Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, CAIR California, Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice, and PICO California; criminal justice reform groups like #cut50, The Justice Collaborative, The Ladies of Hope Ministries, REFORM Alliance, and The Sentencing Project; and labor unions like AFSCME, California Labor Federation, SEIU California, and UAW Western States – amounting to more than 400 endorsements by November 3.
