Proposition 17 was passed by voters Tuesday night, restoring voting rights to Californians on parole.
Proposition 17 comes amid a national push to undo laws that restrict voting for citizens convicted of a felony. In many states, those laws have disproportionately affected Black and Latino residents. The number of parolees in California spiked in the 1980s and 1990s due to the state’s tough-on-crime laws, and Black and Latino Californians remain overrepresented in the parole population.
Opponents of Proposition 17 argued only those convicted of serious crimes were still left disenfranchised. The Yes on 17 campaign made the case that voting would further a parolee’s reintegration into their community. Read the whole story here.