Chair stresses voting rights for eligible people in city jails
With the general election less than two weeks away, Chair Brooks-Powers says the vote is a timely reminder that voting rights must be protected for every eligible New Yorker, including people in city jails. She notes that while felony convictions bar voting under state law, people held pretrial or serving misdemeanor sentences remain eligible, and the presumption of innocence requires a meaningful opportunity to vote.
With the general election less than two weeks away, today's vote is a timely reminder that the right to vote must be protected for every eligible New Yorker, including those in our city's jails.
While the laws of this state currently prevent incarcerated people serving time for a felony conviction from voting, people in city jails that are held pre-
trial or are serving misdemeanor sentences are in fact eligible to vote.
The presumption of innocence lies at the foundation of our criminal legal system.
Everyone is presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
That means every
Eligible person in our jails must have the meaningful, real, and unabridged opportunity to vote, regardless of what crime they have been charged of committing.
Together, Intro 786A and 797A address important gaps in access to the ballot and in
the public information available about voting in city jails.