Petition
Sign the Petition: End Prison Gerrymandering Forever in RI
Every 10 years, we update our state’s district maps to account for population changes — and to ensure that no matter where we live, all Rhode Islanders are fairly represented in our government.
But there’s a major problem with how we conduct this count. Under our current rules, a person who is in the Adult Correctional Institutions on Census Day is counted as a resident of the prison — NOT as a resident of their hometown.
I believe that communities in Rhode Island should get the representation they deserve. Please vote to support the end of prison gerrymandering once and for all in our state.
Most states count incarcerated people as residents of their prisons when drawing electoral maps, not of their home communities — even though people in prison are unable to vote in the prison’s district. Here in Rhode Island, people housed at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) are counted by the Census Bureau as residents of Cranston. The result? A form of gerrymandering that unfairly skews political representation toward a few state legislative districts in Cranston.
In 2021, the legislature reassigned 42% of people housed at the ACI to their pre-incarceration homes. While this was a partial victory, it was neither a sufficient nor a permanent change. A recent report tells us far more people can be reassigned, if the legislature chooses to end prison gerrymandering, like 12 states have.
We can end prison gerrymandering once and for all in Rhode Island if the General Assembly passes legislation — but we need your voice!
You can tell them: I believe that communities in Rhode Island should get the representation they deserve. Please vote to support the end of prison gerrymandering once and for all in our state.
Join us to advocate for the end of prison gerrymandering in Rhode Island.