John,

Voting is a citizen’s right in a democracy.

Every one of us has the right to be heard. In a democratic society, power should reside with the people. Unfortunately, when a significant portion of the population, particularly those who are incarcerated, is denied this fundamental right, their issues and concerns are frequently overlooked by policymakers.

Today, the right to vote is denied to 4.6 million Americans convicted of felonies. Laws vary from state to state, with some states allowing currently and previously incarcerated citizens to vote, some allowing only the previously incarcerated, and some not allowing either to vote.

Thanks to decades of a racist war on drugs, it should be no surprise that some segments of the population are over represented in these numbers, especially Black men.

However, there is a solution that can decrease the alienation of incarcerated citizens, and help them be more invested in mainstream society: Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Peter Welch’s Inclusive Democracy Act would preserve the right to vote for all American citizens. Click here to send a message to your members of Congress.

Felony disenfranchisement has its roots in the post-Civil War era, when white politicians in the South sought to deny Black citizens their full rights as citizens, including the right to vote.

This was done through the implementation of Jim Crow laws, a system of racial segregation and discrimination that was prevalent in the South from the late 1870s to the mid-1960s. The term "Jim Crow" itself was a derogatory term used to refer to Black people.

Alabama is a case in point.

In the early 1900’s, white lawmakers baldly declared their intention to use felony disenfranchisement to establish white supremacy. To accomplish this, they trumped up a variety of minor crimes that were subject to interpretation, such as “moral turpitude,” “vagrancy,” and others, defining them as felonies and thereby taking away the voting rights of as many Black men as possible.

It’s time to end this shameful history and to ensure that every citizen has the right to vote in our democracy.

Click here to send a message to your Senators and Congressperson: cosponsor and pass the Inclusive Democracy Act and support the civic engagement of all citizens.

Thank you for your respect for every American’s right to vote.

- DFA AF Team