HLS 16RS-3296 ENGROSSED
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 122
BY REPRESENTATIVE HUNTER
VOTERS/VOTING: Requests the governor of La. to take action to restore voting rights to
those in the state who are under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony
and to work with all stakeholders to ensure more accessibility to voting for those
persons who are incarcerated and eligible to vote
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the governor of Louisiana to take action to restore voting rights to those
3 in the state who are under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony and
4 to work with all stakeholders to ensure more accessibility to voting for those persons
5 who are incarcerated and eligible to vote.
6 WHEREAS, voting is a civic duty of paramount importance; and
7 WHEREAS, the right to vote is protected by the Constitution of the United States of
8America and the Constitution of Louisiana; and
9 WHEREAS, Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution of Louisiana provides that the
10right to vote may be suspended while a person is under an order of imprisonment for
11conviction of a felony; and
12 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Election Code prohibits a person from registering to vote
13and provides for the suspension of a person's voter registration so long as the person is
14serving a sentence of confinement for conviction of a felony, whether or not suspended,
15whether or not the subject of the order has been placed on probation, with or without
16supervision, and whether or not the subject of the order has been paroled; and
17 WHEREAS, a person who is incarcerated in an institution inside or outside the parish
18in which he is qualified to vote but who is not under an order of imprisonment for conviction
19of a felony may vote; and
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HCR NO. 122
1 WHEREAS, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Louisiana has the highest
2imprisonment rate in the country; and
3 WHEREAS, using 2010 Census data, the Prison Policy Initiative calculated
4incarceration rates by race and found that African Americans are overrepresented in
5Louisiana prisons and jails; and
6 WHEREAS, it is important that each eligible Louisiana citizen be able to exercise
7his right to vote; and
8 WHEREAS, the Voting Rights Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson
9on August 6, 1965, aimed to overcome legal barriers that prevented African Americans from
10exercising their right to vote; and
11 WHEREAS, the Voting Rights Act was a landmark piece of federal legislation that
12ended racial discrimination in voting, enforcing the voting rights for all that are guaranteed
13by the 14th and 15th Amendments; and
14 WHEREAS, the hard work, determination, and perseverance of civil rights activists
15across the country helped to make this possible; and
16 WHEREAS, the victory of the Voting Rights Act helped in diversifying the
17electorate and legislative bodies in government, making these bodies more representative;
18and
19 WHEREAS, it is important to recognize the immeasurable value one vote can have;
20and
21 WHEREAS, Terence R. McAuliffe, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia,
22recently issued an order restoring the right to vote for individuals who have completed the
23terms of incarceration and supervised release for any and all felony convictions; and
24 WHEREAS, Governor McAuliffe has pledged going forward to issue monthly orders
25restoring rights; and
26 WHEREAS, the Louisiana governor is authorized by the Constitution of Louisiana
27to grant reprieves and under certain circumstances to commute sentences, pardon those
28convicted of offenses against the state, and remit fines and forfeitures imposed for such
29offenses.
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HCR NO. 122
1 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
2urge and request the governor of Louisiana to take action to restore voting rights to those in
3the state who are under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony and to work with
4all stakeholders to ensure more accessibility to voting for those persons who are incarcerated
5and eligible to vote.
6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
7to the governor of Louisiana.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 122 Engrossed 2016 Regular Session Hunter
Requests the governor of La. to take action to restore voting rights to those in the state who
are under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony and to work with all
stakeholders to ensure more accessibility to voting for those persons who are incarcerated
and eligible to vote.
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