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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — On Beacon Hill, the state legislature's Election Laws Committee heard testimony on a measure that would restore the right to vote to prisoners in the Commonwealth.
One of the first to testify was Boston State Senator Liz Miranda, who said she was in favor of the proposal which would make an amendment to the constitution.
"People of color only make 18 percent of the population in Massachusetts, but we represent 58-percent of the prison population. Because people of color are disproportionately represented in the prison population, the Commonwealth is currently disenfranchising 4,982 people," Miranda said.
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In 2000, ballot question 2 was approved to limit the voting rights of incarcerated felons by a 60-percent voting margin.
WBZ's Carl Stevens (@carlwbz) reports.
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