Bill > HR4459

This bill, the Democracy Restoration Act of 2014, aims to restore the federal voting rights of individuals who have been convicted of a criminal offense, with the primary provision stating that a U.S. citizen's right to vote in any federal election shall not be denied or abridged because of a criminal conviction, unless they are actively serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution at the time of the election. The bill also mandates that states and local governments receiving federal funds for prison construction or improvement must implement a program to notify incarcerated citizens of their voting rights upon release. Furthermore, it establishes enforcement mechanisms, allowing the Attorney General to take civil action and individuals to sue if their rights are violated, and requires states and federal authorities to notify individuals convicted of crimes about their restored voting rights upon release from incarceration or completion of probation. The Act defines key terms like "correctional institution or facility," "election," "Federal office," and "probation," and clarifies that it does not prohibit states from enacting laws that offer even broader voting rights than those established by this bill, nor does it supersede existing laws like the Voting Rights Act of 1965.