[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6094774,"mediaKeyId","2841948-3ab96a854456f5aa6a23a9c833cbe9ac","parentId",2841948,"title","Massachusetts hearing spotlights push to restore voting rights for incarcerated people","audioSeconds",9408,"startMs",98000,"endMs",9506000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2841948-3ab96a854456f5aa6a23a9c833cbe9ac&start=98&end=9506","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2841948-3ab96a854456f5aa6a23a9c833cbe9ac/thumbnail_98000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6094774/Massachusetts/Massachusetts-hearing-spotlights-push-to-restore-voting-rights-for-incarcerated-people","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6094774-207558f655a38f20941d9cd37f2966a0/orig.mp4?Expires=1775734634&Signature=apyNlrvaS-Xt39HaczUe0gizyoKtD3yd09Q2vRj~Ds35junQqCJYjyxt5lzQLLcM1Axw2O3RXmOVaCcnH7h-1OgII8GV-YtfgIeAK9R0DAf1bflCtptpbWZadGZvXNb7FjSEvXTBDQK4pVOYkdkaKNs~t5C61gX2M9I5S5FoBpRYm3lnOX~fG7JISPrd4v8OoeVXA-3yOTe~XFFCII76a9lYBb3cTmxVTz0Lrk6QeVAqidSxNf~SD6CLTs-~pVm3DzN74gK8OsMTBgDpQrPavZPdbYsm8Dbk1d4aRP0I40Ox7LQLSBTDcg1xe~p6Wrs1cKXg-g-~OFNEV7lbs9HlOg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Massachusetts Legislature","date","2025-04-01T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Liz Miranda of the Second Suffolk District and Representative Bridal Eiderhoven urged the Joint Committee on Election Laws to send S7/H63 — a proposed legislative amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution to restore voting rights to people incarcerated for felony convictions — out of committee with a favorable report.

The proposal would reinstate a right that supporters said existed in Massachusetts until a constitutional change roughly 25 years ago. \"Voting is not a privilege. It is a right,\" Senator Miranda told the committee, noting that more than 7,000 people in the Commonwealth are currently disenfranchised by felony-based bans and that Black and Latino residents are disproportionately affected.

Supporters — including more than two dozen people who testified remotely from state prisons — framed the change as one that would strengthen civic ties, support rehabilitation and reduce recidivism. \"Being able to vote can also be meaningful and have a positive influence when incarcerated,\" said Maurice Skillman of MCI Norfolk, an African American Coalition Committee advocate. Several speakers said participation behind the wall had increased political education and civic engagement among incarcerated people.

Committee members asked how voting would work in practice. Miranda and Eiderhoven said the proposed constitutional amendment itself would not set detailed rules about registration or domicile. Miranda pointed to prior state work on jail-based voting and said the secretary of state and the Department of Correction had already collaborated on access for some incarcerated people. Representative Eiderhoven added that court decisions such as Dane v. Board of Registrars of Concord have left questions about domicile and voting logistics open to interpretation, and said those practical details would be addressed later in implementing legislation if the amendment were approved.

Advocates and outside groups pressed several themes: racial justice, Massachusetts history and public‑safety benefits. Andrea James, founder of Families for Justice is Healing, argued that felony disenfranchisement has a disparate racial impact and described the 25-year-old amendment that removed the right as a regression. Nicole Porter of The Sentencing Project highlighted research linking civic engagement to reduced recidivism and urged a favorable report from the committee.

Speakers described the current scale and some logistical context: advocates said more than 7,000 Massachusetts residents are disenfranchised by the felony ban, and testimony referenced a current incarcerated population in state facilities under 6,000 (testifiers noted the number varies by facility and jail vs. state prison). Miranda told the committee that, if sent to the ballot and approved by voters, the soonest the public could vote on the amendment would be the February 2028 election cycle.

Several currently incarcerated witnesses described personal experiences of political education and civic organizing behind the walls. \"For the first time ever, I felt seen and included by lawmakers,\" said Corey Al Amin Patterson of MCI Norfolk. Joshua Bridal (also known as Hamza) described voting in a recent election as empowering and said the opportunity to vote encourages responsibility and community investment.

Outside organizations including Common Cause Massachusetts, the ACLU of Massachusetts, Campaign Legal Center, Partners in Democracy and Progressive Massachusetts urged the committee to advance the bills. They pointed to policy work the legislature has already done — notably the Votes Act and jail‑based voting improvements — as precedent for figuring out logistics and access.

Opponents or questions about the proposal were largely procedural during the hearing; Representative Frost asked whether people convicted of the most serious crimes should be allowed to vote while incarcerated, a point witnesses rebutted by arguing that civic participation and rehabilitation are not negated by serious offenses and that disenfranchisement is not an effective tool for remedying harm.

The hearing concluded with the committee accepting written testimony through April 8 and with no immediate vote recorded on the amendment. Committee chairs thanked the Department of Correction for coordinating remote testimony from multiple facilities and closed the hearing.

The bill numbers before the committee are S7 and H63; if enacted into law the amendment would be placed on a statewide ballot for voter approval before taking effect. The committee did not adopt implementing rules at the hearing; proponents said practical questions about registration, ballot delivery and domicile would be addressed in subsequent statutory work or guidance from the secretary of state if the amendment reaches the ballot and voters approve it.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Join Committee on Election Laws - 4-1-2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senator Liz Miranda of the Second Suffolk District and Representative Bridal Eiderhoven urged the Joint Committee on Election Laws to report favorably on S7/H63, a proposed constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to people incarcerated for felony convictions.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MA, Massachusetts","taxId",77682,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6094765,"Advocates press committee to curb dark money, urge constitutional fix after Citizens United",2117,6908000,9025000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2841948-3ab96a854456f5aa6a23a9c833cbe9ac&start=6908&end=9025","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2841948-3ab96a854456f5aa6a23a9c833cbe9ac/thumbnail_6908000.jpg","/articles/6094765/Massachusetts/Advocates-press-committee-to-curb-dark-money-urge-constitutional-fix-after-Citizens-United","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6094765-0815a6ad1a0cae50220571d9f9e28fd6/orig.mp4?Expires=1775734634&Signature=aEAdX5t6MoouhowqBw5pGcx81J3GE7NnUMg6d8C7Rc091949KsyQKfo-WbXSDhwmShPsZhLFeBRmncyq9YIh9~mAFGSuY0QiK-e09z7fsbNLraUsX7YT-EG3fLMzBlmVEz9wf4fXPtGnnMWEK3~QB5JAG9G0T6Ki1l9w9hVYm81kbPZegsB7G13KJ5jAgz5SRPAh6HIBSoHbVnliGSm55qPXWFlVpRrhciweQRb-e7GKbNQEA9gJCD1H8Nt6wTp2C3T0-7-8Yr4Q1IBbPL0wD8uKssBCtXHI835nD5oa~coZkrp8y3vCpqZUnT8SJr3L-ek4QIYlLw6jlOwNFGzlkg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Multiple witnesses urged state action aimed at limiting the influence of large sums of money and dark political spending following the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling.

Nick Boccon (self‑identified as a retiree and advocate) and Ellen Fine (attorney and longtime activist) told the Joint Committee on Election Laws that Massachusetts should take steps to reduce the corrupting influence of corporate money on elections, including supporting a constitutional amendment or state measures that would remove corporate personhood as a basis for unlimited independent expenditures. \"A corporation is not a person,\" Ellen Fine said, arguing that reversing the practical consequences of Citizens United would restore democratic balance and reduce policy harms in areas such as environmental and public‑health regulation.

Speakers described personal experiences they said were linked to policy outcomes driven by wealthy special interests. They urged the committee to consider state‑level remedies and to use Massachusetts' constitutional amendment and ballot mechanisms as a means to restore democratic accountability. The hearing did not include a committee vote on any specific anti‑corruption constitutional language; witnesses said they were prepared to work with staff and sponsors to craft a viable legislative vehicle.","Witnesses urged the committee to support state action or resolutions aimed at countering the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and to amend state law or the federal constitution to limit corporate political influence, arguing that unchecked money in politics harms public health and democratic accountability.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6094769,"Advocates urge Massachusetts to ratify long‑pending federal child‑labor amendment",678,5670000,6348000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2841948-3ab96a854456f5aa6a23a9c833cbe9ac&start=5670&end=6348","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2841948-3ab96a854456f5aa6a23a9c833cbe9ac/thumbnail_5670000.jpg","/articles/6094769/Massachusetts/Advocates-urge-Massachusetts-to-ratify-longpending-federal-childlabor-amendment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6094769-e5c45bb8009ec36972ec0a0c82c9b190/orig.mp4?Expires=1775734634&Signature=W6jU9ODfOSagwJ9O4nqFBBJW8daBq6eIDbrJOwoGrgtOD~rAXj89gmVBUHW8ciKOhyvTbqRWMlwjXI5WRE4vHO~IsBWs2JFinJFYS6WVK7ntYGBUGQCzQydzLfyATdXlTOyLnYRHKFDt1Zx~XhjYR~ZnX9jPO74AZJ-~S-s7jM4C9fK1pMzrESlFnM18NEqMwRD-xep47kZYl3jKcfCiMBZ-GAPTv1Xa9-D8xgz8414pxytVLeDNu2Z3CCkT0w4RCyHhqXOLccz9KrrP8kZwZua4SeOGE4va9z8NYwI2ESbjUVeP0U~ImoI1PWg5u79dDT2DhhHUQmEdDGjha68pCg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Three witnesses told the committee Massachusetts should finally ratify the federal Child Labor Amendment — a proposal Congress sent to the states in 1924 and which supporters said remains available for ratification today.

Vincent Lawrence Dixon, a historian and longtime activist, urged lawmakers to consider renewed action after recent developments he described in other states. Alexander Jablon, a Newton resident and coalition organizer, said new bills in Iowa and Florida that loosen work‑hour limits for teenagers illustrate a national trend that could expose young workers to hazardous conditions. \"When states begin to roll back child labor protections, it signals a disturbing trend,\" Jablon told the committee.

Samuel Fieldman, who testified on constitutional procedure and precedent, said the amendment can still be ratified because Congress placed no time limit on it and pointed to earlier examples — including the twenty‑seventh Amendment — where ratification occurred long after initial congressional approval. The witnesses filed and referenced several state proposals (including S5‑21, H3‑845 and H18‑1986) that would send ratification language or a resolve to the legislature as a vehicle for Massachusetts to act.

Proponents framed ratification as a preventive measure: by enshrining protections in the U.S. Constitution, they argued, Massachusetts would send a clear message against exploitation of minors in hazardous jobs and avoid the need for reactive state law changes in each election cycle. Committee members did not vote on the resolutions during the hearing; sponsors said they were prepared to work with staff on precise language and procedural options.","A small coalition of advocates asked the Joint Committee to approve a resolution supporting the Child Labor Amendment (S5‑21 and companion bills), citing recent state and national legislative moves they say risk rolling back protections for minors and arguing ratification would reaffirm Massachusetts policy to protect child welfare and education.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Massachusetts hearing spotlights push to restore voting rights for incarcerated people

Advocates press committee to curb dark money, urge constitutional fix after Citizens United

Advocates urge Massachusetts to ratify long‑pending federal child‑labor amendment