Earlier today, the Illinois Senate Executive Committee approved Senate Bill 2090. The bill expands the opportunity to vote for a person being detained pre-trial and provide those leaving prisons in Illinois with a voter registration application and a “know your rights guide” tailored to people with records.
The following can be attributed to Khadine Bennett, Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois:
“Nothing is more fundamental to participating in our society than voting. If Illinois citizens with records don’t know their rights, they are much less likely to exercise those rights. Many are told, or incorrectly believe, that they simply have lost the right to vote for life.
Senate Bill 2090 helps assure that every person eligible to vote in the State of Illinois is able to exercise their rights. Illinois residents being held in pretrial detention and those leaving prison will receive information on their right to access the ballot box. We applaud lead sponsor Senator Omar Aquino for moving this non-partisan measure forward and we look forward to its passage in the full Senate.”
