RESOLUTION NO. _________, SERIES 2022
TITLE
A RESOLUTION RELATING TO THE VOTING OF INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS AT LOUISVILLE METRO DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND IN KENTUCKY (AMENDMENT BY SUBSTITUTION).
BODY
SPONSORED BY: COUNCIL MEMBERS ARTHUR, CHAMBERS ARMSTRONG, AND PRESIDENT JAMES
WHEREAS, according to the Campaign Legal Center ("CLC"), of the 750,000 people incarcerated in jails in 2019, most are detained pretrial;
WHEREAS, in Kentucky, individuals detained pretrial, who have not yet been convicted of the offense and who are not otherwise ineligible to vote, are eligible to vote pursuant to KRS 116.025(2);
WHEREAS, although most people in jail retain their constitutional right to vote, few actually cast ballots according to the CLC;
WHEREAS, misinformation about eligibility, and challenges to casting a ballot may suppress an incarcerated person's ability to vote;
WHEREAS, this problem is particularly insidious because currently incarcerated voters are disproportionately Black, low-income voters, homeless voters and voters with disabilities;
WHEREAS, a factor that impacts voter turnout is voter education and outreach which is particularly crucial in jails;
WHEREAS, creating election infrastructures that make voting accessible to all eligible currently incarcerated voters is important to voter access in jails;
WHEREAS, in one of his first official acts, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an Executive Order on December 12, 2019 automatically restoring the voting rights to many formerly incarcerated people; however, many currently incarcerated people are unsure whether or not they are eligible for restoration;
WHEREAS, one solution to voting rights restoration is to ensure that criminal defendants are informed: (1) before conviction and sentencing to prison, that they will lose their voting rights; and (2) upon release from prison and/or release to community supervision, that they are again elig...
Click here for full text