{"id":1546,"date":"2025-01-06T15:31:46","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T21:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/illinois\/?post_type=work&#038;p=1546"},"modified":"2025-10-22T10:29:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T15:29:35","slug":"race-act","status":"publish","type":"work","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/illinois\/work\/race-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Restoring the Right to Vote for Incarcerated Citizens"},"template":"","class_list":["post-1546","work","type-work","status-publish","hentry","work_type-legislation"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"This groundbreaking legislation is critical to creating a more inclusive democracy in Illinois by restoring voting rights to individuals in prison and expanding civics education within our correctional system.\r\n\r\nWe are proud to work with our partners in the Unlock Civics Coalition to get this passed in Illinois. ","featured_image":"","work_type":170,"related_issues":[100,94,95,412],"location":16},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"The <b>Reintegration and Civic Empowerment (RACE) Act <\/b>is transformative legislation that would restore voting rights to incarcerated individuals just 14 days after conviction. It also ensures access to vote-by-mail for those in custody and expands civic education to the first year of incarceration, empowering individuals to engage with democracy from the start.\r\n<h3><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/h3>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Felony disenfranchisement is a relic of Jim Crow that disproportionately silences communities of color. In Illinois, Black individuals account for <\/span><b>55% of the prison population<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> despite making up just <\/span><b>15% of the state\u2019s overall population<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This systemic inequity undermines democracy and silences entire communities.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When incarcerated individuals cannot vote, they lose the ability to hold elected officials accountable. This perpetuates injustices like inhumane prison conditions, harmful \u201ctough-on-crime\u201d policies, and problematic judicial practices. The RACE Act is a critical step toward addressing these inequities and ensuring fairness in Illinois\u2019 democratic system.<\/span>\r\n<h3><b>Building on Progress<\/b><\/h3>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illinois has already taken steps to empower incarcerated individuals through the <\/span><b>2019 Civics in Prison Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which brought peer-taught civic education programs to correctional facilities. Since its implementation, over <\/span><b>270 educators<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>5,000 participants<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have benefitted from the program.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The RACE Act builds on this progress by:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Restoring voting rights 14 days after conviction.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expanding civic education to the first year of incarceration.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensuring access to vote-by-mail for incarcerated individuals.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can make your voice heard by urging lawmakers to support the RACE Act. Every letter and signature counts in this fight for equity and justice.\u00a0<\/span>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_featured_action","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_featured_action":{"action_to_show":"manual","image_side":"left","action":["{\"site_id\":\"48\",\"post_type\":\"act\",\"post_id\":1551}"],"title":"Help Pass the RACE Act!","summary":"Illinois lawmakers must take bold action to show that they are strengthening democracy by making the Reintegration and Civic Empowerment (RACE) Act part of their priority agenda now. The RACE Act would restore voting rights 14 days after conviction, expand civic education programs to incarcerated individuals, and ensure access to vote-by-mail for those behind bars. Your support is crucial to show lawmakers that Illinoisans demand a fairer democracy. Don\u2019t wait\u2014sign the petition TODAY!","post_link":{"title":"Add your name today!","url":"https:\/\/act.commoncause.org\/petitions\/restore-voting-rights-in-illinois\/?link_id=1&can_id=2b0d07f9e91aa99ca043e61898e3ea85&source=email-sign-the-petition-restore-voting-rights-in-illinois-2&email_referrer=&email_subject=sign-the-petition-restore-voting-rights-in-illinois&&","target":""},"secondary_link":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_take_action","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_take_action":{"heading":"Take Action","button_text":"","manually_curate":true,"action":["{\"site_id\":\"48\",\"post_type\":\"act\",\"post_id\":1549}"]}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_banner","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_banner":{"use_donate_banner":true,"title":"Title [highlight]with highlighting[\/highlight] and additional text.","button":null,"image":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_related_articles","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_related_articles":{"heading":"Updates","button_text":"See all Related Articles","manually_curate":false,"articles":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_resources","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_resources":{"heading":"Related Resources","button_text":"See all Related Resources","manually_curate":false,"resource":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_press","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_press":{"heading":"Press","button_text":"","manually_curate":false,"press":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_events","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_events":{"heading":"Events"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_our_experts","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_our_experts":{"heading":"","manually_curate":false,"people":null}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - 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