Bill > S457

This bill, known as the Civil Rights Voting Restoration Act of 2015, aims to restore federal voting rights to individuals convicted of non-violent criminal offenses who are no longer incarcerated. It defines key terms such as "correctional institution or facility," "election," "Federal office," "non-violent criminal offense" (an offense not defined as a crime of violence), and "probation" (which includes parole supervision). The bill establishes that a U.S. citizen's right to vote in federal elections cannot be denied or abridged solely due to a conviction for a non-violent offense, unless they are currently serving a sentence in a correctional facility or, under certain conditions, are on probation. For those on probation, voting rights are restored either when their probation ends if it's less than a year, or one year after it begins if it's a year or longer. The Attorney General is tasked with creating and maintaining a public list of non-violent offenses. The bill also allows for civil action to enforce these rights and requires states and federal authorities to notify individuals of their restored voting rights upon release or sentencing. Furthermore, it links federal funding for prison construction or improvement to states having programs that notify incarcerated individuals of their voting rights upon release and to states complying with these notification requirements.