A bill to guarantee the right to vote for all citizens regardless of conviction of a criminal offense, and for other purposes.

Key claim: Senate bill S5122 would guarantee the right to vote for all U.S. citizens regardless of criminal conviction.

Abstract

(S5122 · 119th Congress) Latest action (2026-07-23): Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Why this matters

Felony disenfranchisement affects millions of U.S. citizens, with rules varying widely by state — from automatic restoration upon release to permanent loss of the vote. A federal statutory guarantee would standardize access to the franchise for people with criminal records and shift a longstanding state-level policy question into federal law, though it would likely face constitutional challenges over Congress’s authority to regulate state elections under the Elections Clause and Fourteenth Amendment.

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