40 Years of Progress With Even More Ahead. Power What’s Next.
Press Release
Rhode Island Must Finish The Work of Voting Rights Restoration
Thousands of incarcerated Rhode Islanders remain unable to vote in the state’s upcoming primary election
Related to: Voting Rights, State Advocacy
[Washington, D.C.] – As Rhode Islanders vote in today’s primary election, thousands of the state’s residents will be excluded from the democratic process because they are incarcerated. The Sentencing Project found that approximately 4 million people across the United States are disenfranchised due to felony convictions, and estimated that 1,595 Rhode Islanders, or .19% of the state’s population, were disenfranchised as of 2024.
Rhode Island has made significant progress over the last twenty years. In 2006, voters approved a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to people with felony convictions upon their release from prison. While individuals with felony convictions regain their voting rights upon release, those who are still in prison remain unable to cast a ballot. Jurisdictions including Maine and Vermont do not strip anyone of the right to vote, including incarcerated people.
“Rhode Island has shown how expanding voting rights strengthens our democracy,” said Bob Libal, Senior Campaign Strategist for The Sentencing Project. “Voting rights are not fully restored however, if people who are incarcerated still don’t have a voice in the laws that shape our lives and communities. Every Rhode Islander deserves to participate in the democratic process, regardless of where they live.”
“As we reflect on this milestone year for voting restoration in Rhode Island, we must remember that the state has already demonstrated that voting rights can be restored, ” said Kyle Campbell, Co-founder of the Rhode Island Freedom Collective. “The next step is to ensure that the promise of democracy extends to all Rhode Islanders – including those who are currently incarcerated – to truly fulfill the promise of democracy.”
With the primary election approaching, advocates are urging Rhode Island to continue examining barriers that prevent residents from participating in elections. Restoring voting has been shown to encourage civic engagement, promote successful reentry upon release, and reduce recidivism, thereby improving community safety.
Twenty years after Rhode Island voters approved expanding the franchise, the state is well positioned to take the next step as a leader in strengthening democracy. Ensuring that all Rhode Islanders, including those who are incarcerated, can fulfill the promise of democracy for everyone.
About the Rhode Island Freedom Collective
The RI Freedom Collective is creating a robust network supporting Formerly Incarcerated Persons (FIPs), influencing policy change, and elevating the voices of people currently incarcerated and their families in Rhode Island and nationally. www.rifreedomcollective.org
About The Sentencing Project
The Sentencing Project advocates for effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice. www.sentencingproject.org
Facts Only
* Thousands of incarcerated Rhode Islanders remain unable to vote in the state’s upcoming primary election.
* Approximately 1,595 Rhode Islanders, or .19% of the state’s population, were disenfranchised as of 2024.
* Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2006 restoring voting rights to people with felony convictions upon release from prison.
* Individuals with felony convictions regain voting rights upon release but remain unable to vote while incarcerated.
* Jurisdictions such as Maine and Vermont do not strip the right to vote from incarcerated people.
* Advocates urge Rhode Island to examine barriers preventing residents from participating in elections.
* Restoring voting has been shown to encourage civic engagement, promote successful reentry upon release, and reduce recidivism.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative frames a legal and democratic gap regarding the extension of voting rights to incarcerated populations within Rhode Island as an opportunity for future advancement. The contrast between the state's historical progress in restoring voting rights post-release and the current exclusion of those still imprisoned highlights a tension between legal precedent (the 2006 amendment) and full civic inclusion. The shift from focusing solely on the mechanics of reentry to advocating for the immediate inclusion of incarcerated populations suggests a pivot from conditional restoration to full realization of democratic promise.
The pattern observed is the use of incrementalism in advocacy: establishing a baseline success (post-release voting rights) to build pressure for the next logical step (including current inmates). This leverages the established framework of "voting rights restoration" to push for an expansion of that right, positioning inclusion as the final fulfillment of democratic principles rather than an ancillary policy goal. The implications focus on whether democratic legitimacy is contingent upon physical presence or legal status at the time of election. The missing dimension is an examination of the tangible costs and benefits—for both the incarcerated population and the broader community—of altering existing sentencing and reentry structures to achieve this full inclusion.
What factors influence the political will to address disenfranchisement beyond post-release restoration? How does framing this issue strictly as a matter of "restoring" rights influence the negotiation of systemic changes related to criminal justice infrastructure? What are the unforeseen societal costs when expanding electoral participation based on detention status?
Sentinel — Human
The text functions as an advocacy press release, using verifiable statistics to build a persuasive case for voting rights restoration in Rhode Island, featuring human testimony rather than detached analysis.