Tell New York to Support Parolee Voting Rights

There’s no better way to tell released prisoners that they’re not welcome back in free society than by denying them the vote.

But for years, New York has done just that, along with 30 other states. Yet this year, bills before state lawmakers could put this disastrous policy in the past. And you can help make it happen.

Not coincidentally, felon disenfranchisement laws affect almost exclusively minority groups: more than 80% of former prisoners denied the vote in New York are black or Latino.

If New York moves on these proposed reforms, the state would become a leader in the fight to eliminate felon disenfranchisement law. Take action today: write to the New York legislature and tell them to grant voting rights to people on parole.

As Michael Hamden's previously blogged here, and as the Brennan Center for Justice writes in "Jim Crow in New York," the history of such disenfranchisement traces directly to racist policies that began during the Civil War. For example, for a period in the 19th century, New York was the only state that required blacks — and only blacks — to own property in order to vote.

We continue to see that legacy today. Chris Cassidy recently covered perhaps the most absurd felon disenfranchisement proposed in recent memory: Virginia's idea to require an essay from released prisoners before their voting rights were restored (literacy tests, anyone?). Meanwhile, felon disenfranchisement is epidemic across the U.S. — today, over four million people are denied the right to vote because of past criminal convictions.

Every year, more than 700,000 people are freed from prison in the U.S. Disenfranchisement is a real threat to their successful reentry. But reform is in sight in New York — and you can take action today to help make it happen.

Photo Credit: robertpalmer