IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION recognizing MORE? for its efforts to educate, engage, and register eligible voters with misdemeanor or felony convictions throughout Jackson County.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 20974, June 6, 2022
INTRODUCED BY Theresa Cass Galvin, County Legislator
Body
WHEREAS, MORE2 was created in 2004 as a social justice organization representing different faith traditions, cultural backgrounds, races, and economic means, growing from twelve congregations to thirty-four congregations with many individual members; and,
WHEREAS, MORE2 is active in issues surrounding criminal justice, education, healthcare, and immigration; and,
WHEREAS, MORE2 has organized people with felony convictions into a group called "Our Voices" and launched a campaign called "Our Voice, Our Vote," to engage and educate eligible voters throughout Missouri and Kansas; and,
WHEREAS, it is the goal of MORE2 to register 20,000 new voters by November 2022; and,
WHEREAS, research suggests voting has been linked to a reduction in recidivism and restoring voting rights to people impacted by the criminal legal system could aid their transition back into community life, encouraging law-abiding behavior; and,
WHEREAS, restoring the right to vote to people previously incarcerated enables them to exercise their lawful civil rights and civic duty; and,
WHEREAS, voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals eligible to vote under section 115.133.2 of the Missouri Revised Statutes are fundamental to our democracy and our County; and,
WHEREAS, in Missouri, those with felony or misdemeanor convictions are eligible to vote upon completion of their sentence and probation or parole and individuals who have been convicted of an election offense, whether a felony or misdemeanor, are not allowed to vote; and,
WHEREAS, in a 2018 Pew Research Center survey, 69% of Americans agreed with allowing people convicted of felonies to vote after serv...
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