Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is representing Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) and an incarcerated first-time voter in a case challenging laws which bar eligible, first-time voters in East Baton Rouge jail from voting.
Back to topMany people in jail are eligible to vote, such as those who are pre-trial or serving misdemeanors, which usually do not affect voting rights. This right to vote is protected under state and federal constitutions. But for some jailed voters in Louisiana, this constitutional promise is impossible to fulfill.
Voters in jail face extraordinary barriers...
In Louisiana, a set of conflicting state laws operate together to completely bar certain first-time voters in jail from voting, even though they are totally eligible. One set of laws requires individuals voting for the first time to cast their ballots in person. Another set of laws require voters in jail to vote absentee and prohibit polling places in jails.
Because of these laws, first-time voters in jail face a Catch-22. They can’t vote absentee because they are first-time voters, but also can't vote in-person because they are incarcerated.
VOTE regularly conducts voter registration drives. However, many voters are caught in this Catch-22 and will be denied their right to vote in upcoming elections.
These laws also undermine VOTE’s ability to achieve its mission of engaging with and mobilizing as many eligible justice-impacted voters as possible to ensure that this constituency’s voice is heard and that the government is responsive to it.
CLC filed the lawsuit in state court in partnership with Louisiana attorneys William Most and Bill Quigley.
