WASHINGTON, DC – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement today on New York Governor Cuomo’s decision to restore voting rights to New Yorkers on parole:

“We applaud Governor Cuomo on his decision today to restore the voting rights of the tens of thousands of New Yorkers on parole. This is a critical step in rolling back the many legal barriers that make it nearly impossible for people returning from prison to engage meaningfully in their communities and rebuild their lives.

“Even as we celebrate this decision, we encourage Governor Cuomo to keep fighting for long overdue reforms to the front-end of the justice system by dramatically scaling back pretrial detention and the use of money bail. Every day, 16,000 people who have not been convicted of a crime are locked in New York jails awaiting trial, many simply because they cant afford to pay bail. With less than 30 legislative days remaining in the 2018 session and overwhelming voter support for bold pretrial reforms, Albany can’t leave New Yorkers waiting any longer.”