Today is Election Day, so we thought we’d share a hopeful story about why this day is so important to many of our clients.
When Fernando Bermudez turned 18, he registered to vote. But he never had the chance to cast a ballot. At 21, he was arrested and wrongfully convicted of murder based largely on eyewitness misidentification and official misconduct.
Fernando Bermudez mails in his ballot for the 2020 General Election. (Image: Courtesy of Fernando Bermudez)
Fernando spent 18 years in prison before he was finally exonerated in 2009. After he got out, he voted for the very first time in his life. Now, he says voting is a “family affair.” Fernando says that “now more than ever, I realize the importance of voting, and I’m committed to voting consistently to set an example for my children.”
This year, his 18-year-old daughter, Carissa, is voting for the first time.
Carissa Bermudez on her way to mail her ballot, wearing a sweatshirt with her father’s artwork. (Image: Courtesy of Carissa Bermudez)
Carissa is currently studying political science in school, and she cited her father’s wrongful conviction as a catalyst for her interest in politics. “I think about what happened to my dad — his wrongful incarceration — when I consider candidates. I think about justice for young people of color when I vote.”
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. www.innocenceproject.org
