One Group Of Illinoisans Can’t Vote This November – Those Serving Felony Convictions
Seth Perlman/AP Photo
By Emily Hays
In Illinois, nearly 30,000 people incarcerated for felony convictions are not allowed to vote until after their release, despite inmates in Vermont, Maine, and Washington, D.C. having this right.
Hear from our very own Raúl Dorado, serving a life-sentenced at Danville Correctional Center, advocates for voting rights for those incarcerated on felony charges, arguing it would make public officials more accountable and help address mass incarceration. In 2019, Dorado co-authored a law mandating voting access in county jails and civics education in prisons. Interest in voting among incarcerated individuals has increased this year in Vermilion County, where incarcerated individuals can request mail-in ballots, with numbers higher than usual due to heightened election interest.
“The incarcerated community is probably the largest group of people who have the most skin in the game, yet we’re not acknowledged as stakeholders”
Raúl Dorado
PC: Theatre Y
