Sign the Petition: Nobody should go to prison over an unintentional voting error >>
John, a Black woman in Tennessee was recently sentenced to six years in prison over an accidental voting error.
That’s right: Pamela Moses tried to register to vote in Tennessee – but didn’t know that doing so was illegal due to a past conviction. And she was further misled when an officer with the state’s Department of Corrections mistakenly confirmed that her probation had ended.
Now, Pamela could spend the next six years in prison.
This isn’t the first time a Black woman has been given an egregious punishment for a voting error. Crystal Mason made headlines when she received a five-year sentence for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election – without knowing that her past conviction disqualified her.
The outcomes for white individuals who have done the same thing (or worse)? They often get off easy – like Bruce Bartman, a Pennsylvania voter who intentionally cast an extra vote for Donald Trump in 2020 using his long-dead mother’s identity and was only given probation.
Add your name if you agree: This racist double standard has to end – and states must do a better job of informing people about their rights.
John, Pamela Moses and Crystal Mason wouldn’t be facing these injustices if it weren’t for felony disenfranchisement laws, which can permanently take the right to vote away from someone convicted of a felony. These laws are antiquated, have a disgraceful past, have no criminal deterrent or rehabilitative value – and disproportionately impact communities of color and low-income communities.
Plus, as Pamela’s and Crystal’s stories highlight, the people affected often aren’t aware that by attempting to vote, they can be thrown right back into the incarceration system – destroying the lives they are working to rebuild.
It’s time to end the racist practice of felony disenfranchisement so that every American – no matter their color, ZIP code, or what’s in their wallet – has a chance to be heard in our democracy.
Thanks for all you do,
Keshia Morris Desir, Census and Mass Incarceration Project Manager
and the team at Common Cause
