By Trina Selden and Antoin Quarles
As America faces unprecedented challenges to its democratic foundations, Maryland stands at a crossroads. This legislative session, two critical voting rights bills— HB0110, Automatic Voter Registration expansion, and HB0701 Voting Rights for All,—failed to pass. This setback occurs as presidential executive orders threaten electoral protections nationwide, making state-level safeguards more vital than ever.
The power of democracy rests in every citizen’s ability to vote, yet substantial barriers continue to prevent Marylanders impacted by incarceration from accessing the ballot. Since its founding in 2006 by Trina Selden, Out for Justice has worked to address this unique challenge faced by returning citizens.
“I didn’t understand the problem,” noted Selden. “I had served my time, did everything that was required of me, including working and paying taxes, only to be told that I could not vote. It didn’t sit right with me.”
Similarly, in 2015, Antoin Quarles, now executive director of Helping Oppressed People Excel (H.O.P.E.), returned home only to find himself excluded from the democratic process—a profound denial of citizenship that echoes America’s troubling history of disenfranchisement.
For organizations like Out for Justice and Helping Oppressed People Excel (H.O.P.E.), this represents not just a policy failure but a continuation of historical injustice. The fight for voting rights is deeply rooted in our nation’s pattern of racial and economic disenfranchisement. Policies dating back to the 1800s sought to suppress the political power of marginalized communities, particularly Black Americans.
There’s a direct correlation between when a group receives ballot access and their socioeconomic standing. Poll taxes, literacy tests, and felony disenfranchisement laws were designed to maintain power structures by keeping certain communities away from the ballot box.
As federal protections erode—fueled by recent executive orders—barriers to voting for justice-impacted individuals persist, reinforcing the need for bold state-level reform. Maryland had an opportunity to lead with two transformative bills. HB0110, the Automatic Voter Registration expansion, would have empowered the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to register eligible citizens during their release from correctional facilities. For returning citizens, voter registration would have become a routine, accessible part of reentry. The State Board of Elections would reinstate prior registrations and automatically enroll those opting to vote.
This would have made Maryland only the second state, after Michigan, to integrate voter registration into reentry programming. The Voting Rights for All legislation would have further strengthened protections for vulnerable voters.
The failure of these bills perpetuates systemic exclusion from political life. For returning citizens, the right to vote represents far more than a civic duty; it’s a crucial step in reclaiming their voice and agency in a society that has often silenced them.
“When I came home in 2015, I wasn’t able to register to vote,” shares Quarles. “It was only through advocacy and learning about my rights that I finally felt like a full participant in my community.” This personal journey to civic engagement shouldn’t require exceptional effort or specialized knowledge—it should be a standard part of reintegration.
Research consistently shows that civic engagement reduces recidivism and strengthens community ties—benefits that extend far beyond the individual voter. When returning citizens participate in democracy, everybody wins. Maryland’s inaction deepens the gap left by weakening federal safeguards, and with its proud progressive tradition, Maryland should be leading this charge, not falling behind.
Our call to action is more urgent than ever. We urge Maryland lawmakers to prioritize voting rights in the next legislative session, investing in digital infrastructure within correctional facilities, expanding voter education, and creating robust oversight mechanisms.
To our fellow Marylanders: This moment demands your voice. Contact your legislators. Share stories of disenfranchisement. Advocate relentlessly for policies that expand ballot access, especially for the most vulnerable. In a time when democracy itself faces unprecedented threats, we cannot afford to leave anyone behind. When we empower the most marginalized among us, we build resilience against attacks on our democratic systems. Together, we can create a Maryland where every voice is heard and every vote is counted—not just for some, but for all.