On Saturday, May 18, 2019, the Alabama Voting Rights Project, a joint partnership between Campaign Legal Center and Southern Poverty Law Center, received the Jane Katz Public Service Award from the League of Women Voters of Alabama. This award, named in honor of a former chair of the League, is awarded to “recognize an individual or organization whose work strengthens democracy.”
In May 2017, the Alabama Legislature passed a law which created a definitive list of which types of felony convictions would take away a person’s right to vote, effectively re-enfranchising tens of thousands who had been previously denied the vote. However, the state did not take significant action to inform people of this change.
In response, CLC, in partnership with the Southern Poverty Law Center, created the Alabama Voting Rights Project to employ three full-time fellows to assist thousands of Alabamians with past convictions in the rights restoration process. In addition, they assisted in the training of more than 2,500 community leaders and activists on the process as well.
Learn more about the Alabama Voting Rights Project