Although Oregon’s criminal justice system is considered to be one of the most progressive, it remains far short of an ideal system. Roughly 14,000 Oregonians are serving felony sentences at any given time, and approximately 400 new inmates are imprisoned each month. Despite advances in reducing recidivismand new convictions, there remain glaring problems with reentry of Oregonians after prison. Under Oregon law, felons’ voting rights are restored upon release from prison, but the barriers to voting do not end when the Prisoners are released. After serving their sentence, former prisoners are met with barriers to secure housing, well-paying jobs, and opportunities for community involvement. The result is that their voices are effectively silenced, despite their crucial input as citizens with firsthand experience with the legal and criminal justice system.

The first barrier to post-release felon voting is the lack of housing availability. Most apartment buildings automatically disqualify felons from applying, and federally subsidized rent assistance is difficult if not impossible to obtain for most felons. Because of stringent requirements and outright discrimination, sentencing a felon in Oregon means punishing them not just with prison time and fines, but it often means sentencing them to a lifetime of housing instability. Citizens without stable housing are extremely unlikely to vote; in Oregon, those without a place of residence can designate the county clerk’s office as their voting address, but then must pick up their ballot in person at the county elections office. Making the trip to the county elections office is often no small undertaking in the best of times, and during the current pandemic, it has become nearly impossible.

Former prisoners’ ability to vote is also significantly affected by their diminished job prospects. Felons are automatically barred from most government positions, as well as several other licensed professions. For the remaining jobs that do not Automatically Exclude Felons, midrange estimates place the employment penalty of a felony conviction at 12 percentage points. That means that even after serving their sentence, former prisoners are punished with the inability to live stable, productive lives. Furthermore, post-incarceration employment significantly reduces the risk of recidivism, which means that those who are denied employment are often forced toward additional offenses, which further erode their chances at success upon completion of their sentence.

Volunteering and community involvement have been shown to reduce thought patterns related to crime and also boost democratic participation, but former prisoners often find themselves barred from participating. A great deal of volunteer opportunities require a background check, and many automatically exclude felons. Denying former prisoners the ability to connect or reconnect with their communities only exacerbates the underlying problems and thought patterns associated with both criminality and decreased democratic participation.

Overall, despite Oregon’s advances in the last 20 years, there still remains much to be done in fully restoring voting rights to post-release felons. The barriers to voting remain long after a sentence is served, making the right of former prisoners to vote a technicality rather than a reality.

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