I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1459 
To secure the Federal voting rights of persons when released from 
incarceration. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 19, 2015 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. 
JACKSON LEE, Mr. NADLER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. HAS-
TINGS, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. 
LEE, Ms. MOORE, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. MCGOV-
ERN, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. CHU of California, Mr. RICHMOND, 
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, and Mr. HONDA) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To secure the Federal voting rights of persons when released 
from incarceration. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Democracy Restoration 
Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) The right to vote is the most basic constitu-
tive act of citizenship. Regaining the right to vote 
reintegrates individuals with criminal convictions 
into free society, helping to enhance public safety. 
(2) Article I, section 4, of the Constitution 
grants Congress ultimate supervisory power over 
Federal elections, an authority which has repeatedly 
been upheld by the United States Supreme Court. 
(3) Basic constitutional principles of fairness 
and equal protection require an equal opportunity 
for citizens of the United States to vote in Federal 
elections. The right to vote may not be abridged or 
denied by the United States or by any State on ac-
count of race, color, gender, or previous condition of 
servitude. The 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 
26th Amendments to the Constitution empower Con-
gress to enact measures to protect the right to vote 
in Federal elections. The 8th Amendment to the 
Constitution provides for no excessive bail to be re-
quired, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and 
unusual punishments inflicted. 
(4) There are 3 areas where discrepancies in 
State laws regarding criminal convictions lead to un-
fairness in Federal elections— 
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(A) the lack of a uniform standard for vot-
ing in Federal elections leads to an unfair dis-
parity and unequal participation in Federal 
elections based solely on where a person lives; 
(B) laws governing the restoration of vot-
ing rights after a criminal conviction vary 
throughout the country and persons in some 
States can easily regain their voting rights 
while in other States persons effectively lose 
their right to vote permanently; and 
(C) State disenfranchisement laws dis-
proportionately impact racial and ethnic minori-
ties. 
(5) Two States do not disenfranchise individ-
uals with criminal convictions at all (Maine and 
Vermont), but 48 States and the District of Colum-
bia have laws that deny convicted individuals the 
right to vote while they are in prison. 
(6) In some States disenfranchisement results 
from varying State laws that restrict voting while in-
dividuals are under the supervision of the criminal 
justice system or after they have completed a crimi-
nal sentence. In 35 States, convicted individuals may 
not vote while they are on parole and 31 of those 
States disenfranchise individuals on felony probation 
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as well. In 11 States, a conviction can result in life-
time disenfranchisement. 
(7) Several States deny the right to vote to in-
dividuals convicted of certain misdemeanors. 
(8) An estimated 5,850,000 citizens of the 
United States, or about 1 in 40 adults in the United 
States, currently cannot vote as a result of a felony 
conviction. Of the 5,850,000 citizens barred from 
voting, only 25 percent are in prison. By contrast, 
75 percent of the disenfranchised reside in their 
communities while on probation or parole or after 
having completed their sentences. Approximately 
2,600,000 citizens who have completed their sen-
tences remain disenfranchised due to restrictive 
State laws. In 6 States—Alabama, Florida, Ken-
tucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia—more 
than 
percent 
of 
the 
total 
population 
is 
disenfranchised. 
(9) In those States that disenfranchise individ-
uals post-sentence, the right to vote can be regained 
in theory, but in practice this possibility is often 
granted in a non-uniform and potentially discrimina-
tory manner. Disenfranchised individuals must ei-
ther obtain a pardon or an order from the Governor 
or an action by the parole or pardon board, depend-
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ing on the offense and State. Individuals convicted 
of a Federal offense often have additional barriers to 
regaining voting rights. 
(10) State disenfranchisement laws dispropor-
tionately impact racial and ethnic minorities. Eight 
percent of the African-American population, or 
2,000,000 African-Americans, are disenfranchised. 
Given current rates of incarceration, approximately 
1 in 3 of the next generation of African-American 
men will be disenfranchised at some point during 
their lifetime. Currently, 1 of every 13 African- 
Americans are rendered unable to vote because of 
felony disenfranchisement, which is a rate 4 times 
greater than non African-Americans. 7.7 percent of 
African-Americans are disenfranchised whereas only 
1.8 percent of non African-Americans are. In 3 
States—Florida (23 percent), Kentucky (22 per-
cent), and Virginia (20 percent)—more than 1 in 5 
African-Americans are unable to vote because of 
prior convictions. 
(11) Latino citizens are disproportionately 
disenfranchised based upon their disproportionate 
representation in the criminal justice system. If cur-
rent incarceration trends hold, 17 percent of Latino 
men will be incarcerated during their lifetimes, in 
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