Mass. hearing features widespread testimony supporting amendment to restore incarcerated voting rights

Members of the Joint Committee on Election Laws heard more than three hours of testimony from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, legislators and advocacy groups pressing the committee to report favorably on S7 and H63, a proposed legislative amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution that would restore the right to vote to people who are incarcerated for felony convictions.

Sen. Liz Miranda (Second Suffolk) urged the committee to advance S7, saying that more than 7,000 Massachusetts residents are currently disenfranchised and that the burden falls disproportionately on Black and Latino people. "Voting is not a privilege, it is a right," Miranda said. Rep. Bridal Eiderhoven, a co-sponsor, told the committee the change would require a constitutional amendment and said, "the soonest that this issue would be voted on by the public is 02/19/28." Both urged the committee to send the question to voters.

The testimony combined personal accounts from people serving long sentences with legal and policy arguments. Multiple speakers described how civic education behind bars — including work with…