Democracy Wire

"The clock has started in the 2024 election, and our work to protect our elections begins now. We will double down on our work to protect voting rights for all—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents."

Pennsylvania becomes the latest state to ensure equitable representation for incarcerated people.

Incarcerated people are contracting COVID-19 at a staggering rate, this is not only an alarming public health issue but because of our country’s racist system of mass incarceration -- it’s a major racial justice issue, too.

Being a person that was formerly incarcerated myself, the only time I didn’t vote was during my incarceration. I know better than most the importance of being able to vote with a felony conviction. Growing up in a household that placed significant emphasis on the importance of voting, I have always understood the POWER in being able to vote and having your voice heard.

Juneteenth -- the celebration of Emancipation Day a.k.a. America's other Independence Day -- is a good time to reflect on the lingering systemic disenfranchisement that occurred after slavery ended. The prison industry has taken advantage of the “punishment exception” to the 13th Amendment. After the end of slavery, states passed discriminatory laws to arrest and imprison large numbers of freed black people. Incarcerated black people were then leased out or forced to provide free labor to private individuals and corporations. This still occurs today as states across the nation continue to lease out incarcerated people to private corporations.

I've always been fascinated by politics. My time in prison in West Virginia enhanced that. Now I'm fighting for #FairMaps and against all kinds of racial-, partisan-, and prison-gerrymandering. Hey-Hey, Ho-Ho, gerrymandering has got to go!