Campaign Legal Center's virtual event, "Rights Restoration and the Criminalization of Voting," will be held on May 8, 2023 at 1 PM EST. Please join members of CLC's Voting Rights team and other experts on the issue of felony disenfranchisement.
RSVP to receive a link to the event.
Over 5 million Americans are currently silenced in our democracy because of a past felony conviction. This level of disenfranchisement is a product of legislation enacted during the Reconstruction period which intentionally sought to strip Black Americans of their newfound freedom. Today, these laws continue to disproportionately impact Black and brown voters.
The rights restoration process is confusing, varies by state and is often burdensome. Beyond the 5 million Americans who cannot vote because of a past felony conviction, there are as many as 19 million Americans with felony convictions who can vote, but may not know it, because of rampant misinformation and poor administration.
It is crucial that we continue advancing critical rights restoration work especially ahead of the 2024 presidential election to ensure that all Americans who have the right to vote have the means and knowledge to exercise it.
Speakers include Blair Bowie of Campaign Legal Center alongside Dawn Harrington of Free Hearts and Ramon "Ray" de la Cabada who is co-chair of the Criminalization of Voting Committee at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). The Guardian's Sam Levine, a national reporter covering voting rights in the US, will serve as moderator.