Legislator in Connecticut an Advocate for Restoration of Voting Rights

In the 2000 legislative session, Connecticut State Representative Kenneth Green won the support of the House of Representatives for legislation to give convicted felons who have been released from incarceration the immediate right to register to vote. Currently, the state of Connecticut has 50,000 individuals who are unable to vote until the end of their supervision by the Department of Corrections, resulting in a disproportionate amount of low-income and minority community members being excluded from the political process.

On the national level, 1.4 million, or 13 percent of African-American men have lost their right to vote, with a similar trend being seen in the Latino community. “The voting prohibition of recently released felons affects primarily the Latino and African-American communities. If we want them to reintegrate into society, they should be encouraged to vote right away. Engaging in the political process will benefit their positive incorporation into our society,” affirms Green.

With the Connecticut “full completion of sentence” standard, a person must complete his or her prison sentence along with all of the follow up provisions including parole, probation, and community service before their voting rights are restored.

Green is a co-founder of the Voting Rights Restoration Coalition, which includes the Connecticut NAACP, DemocracyWorks, and the Urban League of Greater Hartford.

Elected in 1994, Green is Vice Chair of the Education, Judiciary, and Banks Committee. He also serves as Chairman of Connecticut’s Legislative Black and Puerto Rican Caucus. Green’s commitment to community service goes beyond his role as a state legislator; he is a social worker at the Polaris School of the Capital Region Education Council.