Author: Arica L Coleman

Voting Rights for Ex-felons!

My father who passed away in 2022 at the age of 81 was an ex-felon who served six years in the PEN for armed robbery. He was supposed to serve eight years but got out for good behavior and never went back. He was on supervised and unsupervised parole for 40 years and could not vote. When Maryland restored voting rights for ex-felons, my father would have voted for Obama. But he was so afraid that he would be sent back to prison, he wouldn’t register to vote no matter how much I pleaded with him. This is why it is important to know and exercise your Constitutional rights. Btw, I was two weeks old when my father began serving his sentence. So I was/am strongly in favor of restoring voting rights to ex-felons, the operative word being “ex”. This site provides state-by-stare information about laws enacted to restore voting rights to ex-felons. As I stated in another post, be sure to check with your state Department of Elections to verify the information provided here. Find Law is a reputable website, but I still urge you to contact your state DOE for verification. My father went to prison prior to the passing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act so he never voted, not once in his lifetime. Please do not let that be you. If your state has restored your right to vote, register and vote and show yourself and the world that you have paid your debt to society and now have the right to function as a full member of this society. Welcome home my brother, my sister.

•Many thanks to my cousin Marilyn Goodman who pointed out this oversight in my original piece Political Sobriety available also on my website.

I know a lot of you are excited about the Presidential Democratic ticket now in place. Harris-Walzs, while not perfect, provides, at least in my mind, a better choice and a ticket I can get behind. Yesterday’s rally in Philly was off the chain. Walzs’ resume and performance are impressive and anyone challenging Kamala’s qualifications to serve as President of the United States is just stupid. Now it is time to get to work and get out the vote. Voter suppression is real so you need to check your voter status even if you are registered. If you aren’t registered, find out when the deadline for registration is and if you haven’t missed it follow the directions and register.

Go to the Department of Elections website for your state. This is your one stop shop for all the information you need about voting. Election Day this year is November 5th (don’t let anybody tell you different). Be sure to note the time the polls open and close in your state and be sure to check and double check your polling site. Also see if your state offers early voting (mine does). If so, vote early that way you can avoid long lines on election day. Or if there is something amiss like your name not being on the roll when you know it should be, don’t make a scene, which waste time and energy. Keep your eyes on the prize which is to vote. Kindly ask the poll volunteer where to go or who to call to get this straightened out. The actor and very politically active Tim Rollins in 2008 went to cast his vote for Obama on election day and found out his name was not on the roll and it took him four hours to straighten that mess out. A royal pain in the ass, yes, but he achieved his goal. He got to vote!

This is a good reason why if your state doesn’t offer early voting then prepare in advance by going to the polls, if possible, before you go to work. Take the day or part of the day off if you can. If none of this is feasible, go to the polls immediately after work. Take a folding chair in case there is a line. Take snacks, water, dress warm (this advice is for everyone). Whatever you do, do not leave the line even if the polls close. As long as you are Already in line before the polls close they have to let you vote. So stand your ground if they try to tempt you to get out of line and go home. No, stay. And be sure to carry your ID and/or voter registration card with you. Black voters especially must be vigilant because they will do everything to try to prevent us from voting. George W. Bush was able to steal the 2000 election by disenfranchising 2 million Black voters. Not this time. We won’t go back!!!

PS. College students, those in the military, and those who will not be able to vote in person, be sure to get your absentee ballot, fill it out correctly, and return it before the deadline. PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY!!!! I put this in caps because as a former professor one of the biggest problems I encountered with students ( no matter the age) is not carefully reading and following directions. Again, go to the Department of Elections website for YOUR state and FOLLOW THE Instructions AS OUTLINED THERE. Don’t trust social media because there is too much misinformation out here. Your state elections website will be a .gov website, not a .com website.

PSS. This site is a nationwide directory to state Department of Elections websites. You only need to put in YOUR state and it will take you to the website. Oh how I love easy. Again follow directions and note dates, times, and deadlines.

You’re welcome 🤗

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