Illinois Lawmakers Expand Voter Access for Incarcerated Youth
Senior Counsel Ami Gandhi talks about the racist history of current felony disenfranchisement laws in Silenced: An Unlock Civics Documentary produced by Chicago Votes.
Update: The legislation was signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on August 13, 2021 and takes effect on Jan. 1, 2022.
Voting rights advocates cheered as the Illinois House of Representatives voted on Friday to approve SB 2116, a law that further strengthens civics education and voter access in Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) facilities. The law passed on a bipartisan basis by a vote of 110-0 and now heads to Governor Pritzker’s desk.
"For too long, Illinois has sentenced citizens convicted of felonies to ‘civil death’ by revoking their right to vote while they're incarcerated. Youth who are incarcerated are also affected, as for many years they were also kept in the dark about their right to vote, undermining the goals of rehabilitation and successful re-entry,” said Dr. Christina Rivers, associate professor of political science at DePaul University who directs the Law and Policy Think Tank at Stateville Correctional Center.
“This law provides incarcerated youth - the majority of whom are Black or Brown - with the civics education they need to successfully re-integrate into their communities and make their voices heard in our political system,” said Ami Gandhi, Senior Counsel at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, which worked with Latham & Watkins LLP in drafting the bill.
The law amends the Reentering Citizens Civic Education Act, a law passed in 2019 with broad bipartisan support that provides re-entering citizens with a non-partisan civics peer education program within a year of their scheduled release from IDOC and IDJJ facilities. Incarcerated community members at Stateville Correctional Center worked with Dr. Rivers, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, and Chicago Votes to draft and pass the 2019 law.
The groups then worked with IDJJ officials to negotiate an amendment bill, SB 2116, which expands voter access for incarcerated youth and allows youth to serve in a leadership role as a co-facilitator for civics curriculum.
“Providing person-centered civic education is so important. Young people experiencing incarceration have the firsthand knowledge needed to change some of these systems; and understanding the power they have to change it makes all the difference” says Javier Reyes, a formerly incarcerated organizer at Chicago Votes.
Led by the efforts of Sen. Robert Peters, the Illinois Senate approved SB 2116 without opposition on April 22. The bill was sponsored in the House by Rep. Curtis Tarver, Rep. Carol Ammons, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, and Rep. Maurice West.
“We’re seeing a tidal wave of voting restrictions targeting Black, Brown, and indigenous people across this country,” said Alex Boutros, Chicago Votes community organizing manager.
“This law once again puts Illinois on the map as a leader in dismantling systemic racism in our democracy, beginning with our incarcerated citizens.”
-From a press release