"Justice was on the ballot as voters headed to the polls—especially voters of color. In the midst of a pandemic that disproportionately impacts people of color, during ongoing police violence targeting and killing Black people, and with unrelenting mass incarceration including the criminalization of immigrants decimating families and communities, criminal justice reform is more important to voters in 2020 than ever before," said Vera President Nick Turner.

"Although the federal election revealed a deep political divide in the United States, state and local measures highlight the promise of the movement to end mass incarceration through the restoration of voting rights, pretrial and judicial reform, decriminalization of drug use, and decarceration efforts."

About the Vera Institute of Justice:

The Vera Institute of Justice is a justice reform change agent. Vera produces ideas, analysis, and research that inspire change in the systems people rely upon for safety and justice. Vera collaborates with the communities most impacted by these systems and works in close partnership with government and civic leaders to implement change. Across projects, Vera is committed to explicitly and effectively reducing the burdens of the justice system on people of color and frames all work with an understanding of our country’s history of racial oppression. Vera is currently pursuing core priorities of ending the misuse of jails, transforming conditions of confinement, providing legal services for immigrants, and ensuring that justice systems more effectively serve America’s increasingly diverse communities. Vera has offices in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; New Orleans, and Los Angeles.