Is your state one of these 30?

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John,

Most of us believe in second chances – if you’ve messed up and are convicted of a felony, you should have the opportunity to fully reintegrate into your community after serving your sentence, and that includes regaining your right to vote. But it turns out, reality is often not so simple.

The system is confusing enough to begin with: the rules about if or when someone can regain their voting rights after a felony conviction vary wildly by state. But our research found that even after release from prison, millions of citizens are being kept from the polls simply on the basis of wealth, because voting rights restoration is hinged on their ability to pay fines and fees from their conviction. Lawmakers have created a new modern-day poll tax.

Is your state one of the 30 that disenfranchises people based on their ability to pay? Read Can’t Pay, Can’t Vote, our new report with Georgetown Civil Rights Clinic. ([link removed])

Here are just two of the stories of disenfranchised citizens we’ve met through our work to restore voting rights to people with felony histories:
Bonnie Raysor lives in Florida and served 18 months in prison on felony drug charges. She was thrilled when Florida voters approved a ballot measure last year to restore the right to vote to people who have served the terms of their felony sentence. But then, the Florida legislature re-interpreted the new law to require the payment of all fines and fees before voting rights restoration. Bonnie owes the state $4,260, which she is working to pay off, but she still won’t be able to vote until 2031.
Alfonzo Tucker Jr. lives in Alabama and paid off $1,511 of his $1,515 in fees after his conviction in 1992. But he was purged from the voting rolls for failure to pay just four dollars, and due to misinformation from the state, thought that he would have to pay additional late fees to get his rights back. Our Alabama organizers were able to clarify his situation and help him reapply to vote, but it shouldn’t take a team of lawyers to help people understand the requirements for voting under complicated, and often misinterpreted, state laws.

As I noted in a New York Times op-ed last year, ([link removed]) the significant challenges to economic stability after someone leaves prison make them even more vulnerable to poverty, and under this pay-to-vote system, even less likely to be able to regain their right to vote.

Poll taxes have been illegal since the 1960s, but do they survive now in another form? Read more about people like Bonnie and Alfonzo, and the millions of people with stories just like theirs. ([link removed])

Thank you for supporting a democracy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.

Danielle Lang
CLC Co-Director, Voting Rights & Redistricting

P.S. Just yesterday, The New York Times editorial board also featured our report in their Sunday editorial, citing that 10 million people owe a combined $50 billion in fines and fees related to criminal convictions nationwide. ([link removed])
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