WHEREAS, A 2005 report published by The Sentencing Project
found that 37% of local officials surveyed in several states
were unfamiliar with their state's voting eligibility law or
unable to describe it correctly; and
WHEREAS, A lack of recent information about the voting
patterns of qualified voters who were formerly incarcerated in
this Commonwealth clouds the ability of the General Assembly to
act to ensure that all qualified electors are aware of their
right to vote and able to exercise it; and
WHEREAS, Ensuring that formerly incarcerated Pennsylvanians
are aware of and able to exercise the right to vote may increase
community and civic engagement; and
WHEREAS, Collecting data about the voting habits and
awareness of formerly incarcerated Pennsylvanians will help
policymakers identify problems, address existing knowledge gaps
and increase voter engagement; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
State Government Commission to conduct a study on voting
patterns and knowledge about voting rights among formerly
incarcerated qualified electors in Pennsylvania and submit a
report of its findings and recommendations to the House of
Representatives; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the study conducted by the Joint State
Government Commission include, but not be limited to, the
following:
(1) Rates of voter participation among qualified
electors who were formerly incarcerated.
(2) The number of qualified electors who were formerly
incarcerated.
(3) The relationship between length of incarceration and
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