Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) introduced a bill today to require the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to provide incarcerated individuals from jurisdictions that allow those individuals to vote, like the District of Columbia and Maine, information on how to register to vote and request absentee ballots.

“Maine is only one of four states or territories that allows everyone to vote in our elections, including incarcerated people, and our democracy is stronger for it,” Pingree said. “Today, I’m proud to join Congresswoman Norton on a bill that would provide people in prison with information on how they can register and vote absentee. Putting up barriers for anyone to engage in civic life is undemocratic and I am hopeful that with this bill we will open up more pathways to the ballot box.”

“It is imperative that these individuals be given the full range of voting information,” Norton said. “This bill would codify some past BOP practices on providing incarcerated individuals with information on voter registration and instructing them on how to request absentee ballots. Thank you to Congresswoman Pingree for co-leading this important bill.”

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