Massachusetts moved away from universal suffrage in 2000, stripping incarcerated individuals of their right to vote through a constitutional amendment. Nearly two decades later, in January 2019, Senator Adam Hinds, a Democrat representing the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden District, introduced SD.12 and SD.26 (proposed constitutional amendments), which would completely restore voting rights to people currently incarcerated on felony convictions in Massachusetts.

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An excerpt from a Boston Globe article titled “Mass. Senator Wants to Restore Voting Rights for Incarcerated Felons” dated April 12, 2019.

“Hinds told the Election Laws Committee that almost 20 years after the 64-36 statewide vote in 2000, ‘everyone in this body and throughout Massachusetts and the country are much more aware of the disproportionate impact of over-incarceration on communities of color, particularly low-income communities of color.’

“‘There is a long and unfortunate history in this country related to the treatment of people of color and related to using voter disenfranchisement negatively, and so that is the context in which I file this legislation,’ Hinds said. ‘I, for one, feel it is incumbent upon me as a legislator, and I feel it’s incumbent upon this entire body to be systemic in the effort to dismantle laws and policies that reinforce inequality and unequal rights in this Commonwealth.’

“…Supporters of the measure said it would help people incarcerated for felonies stay engaged with their communities, potentially easing their reentry, and help alleviate confusion over voting rights for prisoners who are eligible to vote — those held on misdemeanor charges, for example — and for people released on parole and probation.”