Voting Rights For All: Putting It to Work in California

Many Americans were unaware of this important civil rights issue until the Presidential election of 2000, when national publicity focused on denial of voting rights to former felons in Florida. The magnitude of disenfranchisement is huge! Voting restrictions in Florida, alone, may have forever changed the course of history—many scholars concur that if former felons had been allowed to vote in Florida, Al Gore would have been elected president instead of George Bush. In recent years, an estimated four million U.S. citizens of voting age face lifetime legal denial of the right to vote because of prior felony convictions, even after they completed their sentence. An unknown, but perhaps even larger, number of citizens have been effectively denied the vote through institutional silence and misinformation.

The effects of restrictive laws and misinformation cut across the fabric of our society, with immense consequences for some communities. A U.S. Civil Rights Commission report concluded in 2001 that the disenfranchisement of former felons is “the biggest hindrance to black voting since the poll tax.” Now, in a widespread civil rights movement, efforts are currently underway throughout the country to address the specific injustices--and needed reforms—in each state.

Our work to spread the word about voting rights in California began during the recall election of 2003, using the slogan “On probation? Off parole? You can vote in California”. Initially, we set up rather fledgling efforts in shopping centers and other traditional voter registration venues. Then in September 2004, before the presidential election, we set up shop outside the Superior Courthouse in Oakland (and sporadically at courthouses in Richmond and Hayward), starting at 7:30 in the morning. We passed out thousands of flyers, answered questions, and assisted with voter registration, as hundreds of defendants--and their families and friends--went in and out of the courthouses each day. Despite barriers of privilege and often of age (most of our volunteers were retired, older folks), a spirit of community and goodwill was palpable. In three weeks, we registered over 600 people, at least half of whom were first-time-ever voters. Many more people took blank registration forms for family and friends…and thousands of our bright orange, half-page flyers made their way into homes, churches, and shops all over the East Bay.

Since 2004, we have added more materials to our educational arsenal. As a strictly non-partisan project, we have developed extensive networks with re-entry and prisoners’ rights groups, churches, libraries, and local officials. We provide non-partisan materials, at no charge, to anyone willing and able to distribute them. All our materials can be ordered from our website. Our work is supported through individual donations and a small grant from the East Bay Community Foundation. We can accept tax-deductible contributions (see our website www.votingrightsforall.org for more information).

Now that we have a hotly contested presidential election upon us and three California ballot propositions that relate to the criminal justice system (Props 5, 6, and 9), we are gearing up again to set up shop outside the courthouses. We welcome volunteers to join us, working from mid-Sept to close of voter registration on Oct. 20 outside the Wiley E. Manuel Superior Courthouse in Oakland and the Superior Courthouse in Richmond (contact us through info@votingrightsforall.org). And wherever you are in California, help spread the word: a felony conviction does not bar someone from voting…only people who are actually in prison or on parole cannot vote in California.

Judith Grether is one of the co-founders of Voting Rights for All! and currently serves as a volunteer co-coordinator of the organization. She lives in the San Francisco East Bay.