Sponsor
Peter Welch
Senator · D-VT
Senator · D-VT
The bill significantly expands and clarifies federal voting access—especially for people with felony convictions and those incarcerated—improving enfranchisement and outreach while creating new administrative costs, operational burdens on carceral facilities, and elevated litigation risk for state and local election officials.
People with felony convictions (formerly and currently incarcerated) can vote in Federal elections regardless of when convicted, restoring/enforcing federal voting rights and expanding political voice for communities disproportionately impacted by convictions.
Incarcerated people and people with criminal records gain much more reliable ability to register and cast absentee or mail ballots because carceral settings must provide registration materials, nonpartisan groups access, internet access for candidate research, and states must prepay postage and expedite election mail.
Election officials and the public receive centralized guidance and a national outreach campaign clarifying that convictions do not bar federal voting, reducing confusion and likely increasing participation among affected communities.
State and local election officials and courts face substantially increased litigation risk and legal burden—private suits, emergency filings, and disputes over overlapping statutes—that could divert resources and delay election administration.
State and local governments (and taxpayers) will incur new administrative and postage costs to prepay postage, expedite election mail, run outreach, and update voter rolls and procedures.
Heads of carceral facilities and correctional staff will face operational burdens—providing registration materials, device/internet access, 24‑hour mail availability, and timely transmission of ballots—that may strain facility resources.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits denying a citizen the right to vote in any federal election because of a criminal conviction and requires notice, registration access, outreach, and enforcement mechanisms.
Official title: Guarantee the right to vote for all citizens regardless of conviction of a criminal offense, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 23, 2026 by Peter Welch · Last progress July 23, 2026
Prohibits the United States and the States from denying or restricting a citizen's right to vote in any federal election because of a criminal conviction, including past convictions. It requires written notices and outreach so people with convictions, incarcerated people, and those on probation or parole know their federal voting rights, and it requires carceral facilities to offer and transmit federal mail voter registration forms. Creates civil enforcement tools: the Attorney General and private parties (including immediate actions by incarcerated people for registration or absentee-voting failures) can sue for injunctive or declaratory relief if duties are not met. The law is interpreted in favor of prospective registrants and contains severability and supplemental-relationship rules with existing voting statutes.