"Unlock the Vote" bill would allow those on parole to vote

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Lawmakers from Milwaukee are introducing a package of bills that they say aim to "unlock the vote".

State Senator Lena Taylor and Representative David Crowley of Milwaukee helped introduce the bills Wednesday in Madison.

One other bill would grant voting rights to those currently on probation or parole. That's about 66,000 people across Wisconsin.

Lawmakers believe their voices deserve to be heard at the ballot box.

"They are impacted in the same manner and deserve the same voice as those who represent their interest, like us," said Sen. Lena Taylor. "But in Wisconsin, those persons, those residents are treated like the walking dead."

The lawmakers are hoping the bill gets a hearing this fall.