Tell all federal state officials:
"End felony disenfranchisement. Every American citizen – including those who are incarcerated – has the right to cast a ballot."
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Dear Friend,
Stories of people voting for the first time are beautiful. But for too many young people in our communities – particularly young people of color – the act of participating in our democracy never comes to fruition because of mass incarceration.
In the state of Kentucky alone, over 25% of Black residents have lost their right to vote. Our system of mass incarceration – which locks up people of color and poor people at a disproportionate rate – is based on disenfranchisement laws that deny voting rights to people serving time or previously convicted of a felony. 6.1 million Americans nationwide are denied their right to vote this way – and it is time for that to end.
Perhaps the biggest voting myth out there is that if you have a felony on your record, you have lost your right to vote forever. Every state has slightly different laws, but in the vast majority of cases, people with records can vote once they have served their time or completed their full sentence (probation and parole). What we are calling for now is universal access to the polls for not only those who have completed their sentences but also those who are currently incarcerated.
A true democracy that is of, by, and for the people must extend the right to vote to all its citizens. But right now, most states deny that right to millions of incarcerated Americans – creating a class of people who are subject to the laws of this country but have no say in how our leaders govern.
On top of that, most states count incarcerated people as residents of their prisons when drawing electoral maps, not of their home communities – even though people in prison are unable to vote in the prison’s district. This results in a form of gerrymandering that unfairly amplifies the political power of the rural, whiter communities where prisons are often built.
Our mass incarceration system is silencing the voices and communities most impacted by it. And that’s by design – dating back to the Jim Crow era, felony disenfranchisement laws are one of many tactics used to attack Black people’s political power.
We have come too far as a country to let any party – Republican or Democrat – get in the way of voting. This isn’t about partisanship. Voting is a fundamental right for our democracy.
We believe that all American citizens have the right to vote so that together we can fight back against injustices and inequalities in our communities. As noted by Rev Yearwood, our President & CEO, in a recent essay he published in the National Urban League’s 2019 State of Black America about meeting young voters at the intersection of adversity and action:
Rapper T.I. was the lead Respect My Vote! spokesperson during its inaugural year. When the campaign started, he was on house arrest and unaware of his right to vote as a returning citizen (a formerly incarcerated person who has re-entered society after serving his or her sentence). He used his multi-city bus tour as a platform to stress that returning citizens learn their rights and flex their power by voting.As returning citizens and campaign spokespeople, T.I., 2 Chainz, and Charlamagne Tha God have led the way and opened the door for other artists and entertainers to actively engage with programs that address injustices and inequalities, including addressing the prison industrial complex and fighting for criminal justice reform.Their efforts played major roles in recent voting rights wins, including a 2018 ballot measure in Florida to restore voting rights to more than 1.5 million returned citizens—a major victory for our communities, our country, and our democracy.
But, for all the steps our country has taken forward on civil rights, our communities are fighting everyday to keep from going backwards. History tends to repeat itself and right now we are in a straight up fight to hold onto any progress we have made.
As our most basic American right – voting – remains under attack, we must turn up our efforts to expand representation power of our communities. That's why we are joining our friends at Common Cause and the progressive movement to call on federal and state officials to end felony disenfranchisement once and for all. Sign the petition.
Thank you for standing up for justice and equity.
Liz Havstad
Executive Director
Hip Hop Caucus
Executive Director
Hip Hop Caucus
P.S.: If you or your loved ones have felony records, find out about your or their right to vote by state here: respectmyvote.com/for-ex-offenders. In many states, you have the right to vote while on probation or parole, and most often you have the right to when you have completed your full sentence.
Hip Hop Caucus1638 R Street, NW #120, Washington, DC 20009
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