Democrat Rep. Pressley introduces bill to allow prisoners to vote in federal elections

Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley has introduced legislation to allow incarcerated U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections.

The Massachusetts lawmaker also reaffirmed her to support for lowering the voting age to 16.

Pressley noted that she's supported “requiring ballots be made available in multiple languages, expanding early voting in local elections."

"And in Congress, I led efforts and legislation to lower the federal voting age to 16 and urged the DOJ to aggressively protect voting rights and to fight against voter suppression,” Pressley said Wednesday in announcing the Inclusive Democracy Act.

The bill is cosponsored by Sen. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat.

Pressley argued that individuals in prison or those with a criminal record are “wrongfully stripped of their sacred right to vote and denied the opportunity to participate in our democracy.”

”With Republicans and the Supreme Court stopping at nothing to undermine voting rights and exclude Black and brown folks from participating in our democracy, we must protect and expand access to the ballot box – including for incarcerated citizens,” she also said.