WA: Thousands of formerly incarcerated people in Washington allowed to vote with no carve-outs

WASHINGTON, USA — The November midterm elections are less than two weeks away and for thousands of people in Washington, it’s the first time they are eligible to vote under a new law that restored voting rights to formerly incarcerated people.

“I was actually incarcerated at 17,” said Cyril Walrond.

Walrond spent 17 years in prison and was released on Aug. 1 at the age of 34.

“The very next day to register to vote and to vote in the primary, really gave me a sense of connectivity within my community, where I realized that it’s not just talking and having all these different opinions, but really, I’m making my voice and my vote count,” Walrond said.

Walrond worked toward that day, even while inside prison. He worked with organizations like the Voting Rights Restoration Coalition.

“We have an opportunity to make sure that our voices are heard and that we are doing the things that are necessary to make sure all of our lives are being represented. That’s what true equity looks like,” Walrond said.

Under the new law that went into effect in January of this year, it automatically restores voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they are on parole. That means thousands will get the chance to vote for the first time this November.

“The shift is that we’re moving away from the kind of forever labeling people that have past convictions, and treating folks as outcasts for the rest of our lives or their lives, to welcoming people home, when they get released,” said Christopher Poulos, Director for Person-Centered Services at the Department of Corrections.

Poulos knows how that feels. He served three years in federal prison in Pennsylvania, a state where inmates could vote. However, Poulos’ ballot came a day too late, but that’s when his interest in voting restoration for people with convictions started.

Poulos said the ability to vote helps make people feel a part of the community and reduces recidivism. 

“When people do really feel included, the chances are that they’re going to act the same way and act positively in our communities,” he said.

Poulos said under the new law, 13,000 more people across the state are eligible to vote.

Continued at source

Related posts

Subscribe
Notify of

We welcome a lively discussion with all view points - keeping in mind...

 

  1. Submissions must be in English
  2. Your submission will be reviewed by one of our volunteer moderators. Moderating decisions may be subjective.
  3. Please keep the tone of your comment civil and courteous. This is a public forum.
  4. Swear words should be starred out such as f*k and s*t and a**
  5. Please avoid the use of derogatory labels.  Always use person-first language.
  6. Please stay on topic - both in terms of the organization in general and this post in particular.
  7. Please refrain from general political statements in (dis)favor of one of the major parties or their representatives.
  8. Please take personal conversations off this forum.
  9. We will not publish any comments advocating for violent or any illegal action.
  10. We cannot connect participants privately - feel free to leave your contact info here. You may want to create a new / free, readily available email address that are not personally identifiable.
  11. Please refrain from copying and pasting repetitive and lengthy amounts of text.
  12. Please do not post in all Caps.
  13. If you wish to link to a serious and relevant media article, legitimate advocacy group or other pertinent web site / document, please provide the full link. No abbreviated / obfuscated links. Posts that include a URL may take considerably longer to be approved.
  14. We suggest to compose lengthy comments in a desktop text editor and copy and paste them into the comment form
  15. We will not publish any posts containing any names not mentioned in the original article.
  16. Please choose a short user name that does not contain links to other web sites or identify real people.  Do not use your real name.
  17. Please do not solicit funds
  18. No discussions about weapons
  19. If you use any abbreviation such as Failure To Register (FTR), Person Forced to Register (PFR) or any others, the first time you use it in a thread, please expand it for new people to better understand.
  20. All commenters are required to provide a real email address where we can contact them.  It will not be displayed on the site.
  21. Please send any input regarding moderation or other website issues via email to moderator [at] all4consolaws [dot] org
  22. We no longer post articles about arrests or accusations, only selected convictions. If your comment contains a link to an arrest or accusation article we will not approve your comment.
  23. If addressing another commenter, please address them by exactly their full display name, do not modify their name. 
ACSOL, including but not limited to its board members and agents, does not provide legal advice on this website.  In addition, ACSOL warns that those who provide comments on this website may or may not be legal professionals on whose advice one can reasonably rely.  
 

3 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

It is good to see the home state do something right of late, especially on this topic. Now, get good ol’ Ron DeSantis in FLA to do the same thing, especially since his latest move has appeared to backfire. Yes, people, these two states are governed by two different parties, but the concept can still be applied regardless.

The best news here is that the new law includes people convicted of a sex offense.

Good on Washington for doing the right thing and not just the politically lazy thing.