This article was originally published by The Marshall Project , a nonprofit news organization that covers the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter , or follow The Marshall Project on Facebook or Twitter .

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced Tuesday that roughly 45,000 people on community supervision will be able to vote, reversing his predecessors policy. The decision, he said, was motivated in part by the vast racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

Californias announcement was the latest development in a growing movement to return voting rights to those with a criminal record.Presidential candidates on the right and left have made it a key element of their platforms. And in his big speech on criminal justice in July, President Obama said that if folks have served their time, and theyve reentered society, they should be able to vote.