; 132 Stat. 5194) demonstrates that reducing the population in overcrowded Federal prisons can be done safely and effectively. (3) Extending the Federal franchise to individuals with criminal convictions will further reduce recidivism rates. (4) Basic constitutional principles of fairness and equal protection require an equal opportunity for citizens of the United States to vote in Federal elections. (5) Section 4 of article I of the Constitution of the United States grants Congress ultimate supervisory power over Federal elections, an authority which has repeatedly been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. (6) The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which prohibits excessive bail, the imposition of excessive fines, and the infliction of cruel and unusual punishments, also moves Congress to act when lifetime felony voting bans are used to mistreat those with felony convictions. (7) The 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments to the Constitution of the United States empower Congress to enact measures that further protect the right to vote in Federal elections, and codify the principle that the right to vote may not be abridged or denied by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, gender, or previous condition of servitude. (8) Congress also has independent authority under the 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments to the Constitution of the United States to ensure elections are conducted without unlawful discrimination. Under these amendments, Congress has the duty to act when incarcerated individuals are treated as second-class citizens through the denial of the vote. (9) The Reconstruction Amendments specifically, which include the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution of the United States, require full legal and political equality for former slaves and their progeny, many of whom are individuals with criminal convictions today. (10) The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States stands out as perhaps the most