December 17, 2009—Rev. David Schuringa, president of the Crossroad Bible Institute spoke recently at a Capitol Hill briefing about legislation that would restore voting rights to persons who have been released from prison after behind convicted of a crime.
Speaking at the Senate briefing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Schuringa said that it is important from the stance of social justice that Congress pass the "Democracy Restoration Act: Restoring the Right to Vote to Formerly Incarcerated Citizens."
An estimated 5.3 million Americans cannot vote because of a criminal conviction. Of these, four million are out of prison and living and working in their communities. Allowing them to vote would, says Schuringa, help in a prisoner’s re-entry into society and would be consistent with the ideal of allowing all citizens to vote.
"The Senate briefing... was a success and my testimony was enthusiastically received," said Schuringa, whose institute works in a variety of ways with prisoners and ex-offenders and is endorsed by the Christian Reformed Church. Schuringa is an ordained minister in the CRC.
Schuringa was one of four people on a panel moderated by an official from the Brennan Center for Justice.
The bill is also supported by the CRC’s Office of Social Justice. The Democracy Restoration Act would:
- Restore voting rights in federal elections to nearly 4 million Americans who are out of prison and living in the community.
- Ensure that people on probation never lose their right to vote in federal elections.
- Notify people about their right to vote in federal elections when they are leaving prison, sentenced to probation, or convicted of a misdemeanor.
Last summer, the bill to was introduced in Congress. Coming up in a couple months will be a House Briefing for which Schuringa might be asked to speak. The bill likely won’t come up for a full vote, if it does, for another year.
"This issues is terrible important. As I said at the hearing, the best way we can be a voice for the voiceless in society (Prov. 31:8-9), is to speak out and give them their own voice - the vote," says Schuringa.
"This injustice, keeping millions on the fringes of society, is the stuff the prophets railed against and it breaks Jesus’ heart. We’re talking here of fundamental restorative justice."
While 15 states and the District of Columbia already restore voting rights upon release from prison, 35 states restrict the voting rights of people who are no longer incarcerated.
-Chris Meehan, CRC News
|
