The power of voting for the formerly incarcerated

By Anthony Payton, Columnist, Granite State News Collaborative

I remember sitting in prison watching the spectacle that was the 2016 presidential election. It was so powerful that I began to see how my societal role would start to change. Whoever won this presidency would still be in office once I was released. I was determined to vote once free, but I had no idea if I could. As it stands, voters' rights are restored once leaving prison. You need an I.D. and must re-register if you were already registered before your prison sentence. This can be frustrating to the newly released person, but I was determined to be a part of that process. After my first vote, there was a feeling of investment and engagement. I was also a father to a young girl and her brothers, and I wanted a better society for them. Civic engagement, particularly voting, is a great vehicle to attain those goals.

Make no mistake; once a person has decided to live a law-abiding life, being unable to vote can leave you deflated. I want to help elect someone who has my interests at heart. If my candidate loses, I’d like to be able to support or vote against the person who won. This is how we keep a democracy going – and everyone should have a say in that. Ultimately, not being allowed to vote leaves a feeling of being robbed of that process.

At this very moment, a person is being released from behind thick prison walls and cold and sharp barbed-wire fences. We hope they’ll be released and positively contribute to society. Once they’ve accomplished this, they deserve the right to become a whole citizen with certain rights restored. 

Voting is one of those rights.

Civic engagement is one of the best feelings of being an American. And although democracy sometimes feels threatened nowadays, it’s still a luxury and honor to partake in the process. The average citizen, I believe, takes it for granted. For example, almost half of New Hampshire’s one million registered voters didn’t bother to show up to vote in the 2018 midterm elections, and that number doesn’t account for the people who are eligible to vote but aren’t registered. The number of people who stay home is much higher in local elections.

When you’ve lost rights, even due to your own actions, you tend to wonder what the actual ramifications are, especially as you mature and become a contributing member of society. Yes, some ex-felons have actually learned their lesson, paid their debt to society, and now want to participate in the law-abiding and tax-paying ecosystem. As a taxpayer, maybe I’m wondering why there are so many potholes on my street and which elected officials can help fix them.

Some people who’ve served time are now parents who want the best for their children, like everyone else, and are looking to be part of the solution instead of the problem.  

But when elected officials and people in authority spread misinformation about voting, that can lead to voter suppression and the disenfranchisement of former inmates.

Two people were the catalyst for my first vote.

 

Two-term State Rep. Nicole Klein Knight (D-Manchester) was monumental in clarifying language that spelled out New Hampshire’s laws regarding voting for felons. 

While interacting with community members, Nicole discovered that some people with felony convictions believed they could not vote. Some said they got misinformation from parole and probation officers. Nicole said that the more she looked into it, the more she realized that no one had a clue about the actual law. It was a legal entanglement of words that seemed meant to confuse. Laws vary from state to state, but the law in N.H. is simple: As long as a person wasn't in prison for a felony at the time of the election, they could vote.

That was it – no seven-year waiting period-No, lifetime ban from voting. Nicole rewrote the law and added a requirement for parole/probation officers to inform people about their voting rights upon release.

Fate and connections led to me meeting Anthony Harris, who some may remember from his run for Alderman in Manchester. He’s also the executive director for a nonprofit we created, “B.O.S.S Initiative. The Next Chapter,” which assists men who are released back into society from incarceration. Anthony already had initiatives that helped to educate the formerly incarcerated about their right to vote. (In 2019, HB 486 passed, requiring the commissioner of the Department of Corrections to ensure that probation/parole officers receive instruction on the current state of the law regarding final discharges, rights retained, and rights lost.)

Anthony and I are still working to help ensure a person’s smooth transition back to their communities. In most cases, though the odds are stacked against them, these people still have a chance to become success stories. 

Informing people about their voting rights allows them to participate in our democracy.

More than 5 million voters, or 2.3% of the voting-age population, could not vote in 2020 because they were involved in the prison system. This leads to an imbalance when B.I.P.O.C (Black and Indigenous People of Color) communities are overrepresented in prisons but underrepresented in voting and politics. 

This is a problem that should concern everyone.

Sometimes in marginalized communities, residents feel so hopeless that they don’t have faith or pride in the voting system. As a result, voter turnout can be low. Things have gotten better, and people are voting more than before, but still not nearly enough. 

When politicians notice that their constituents have that disconnect, sometimes they feel like they can get away from not serving them. And everything in those neighborhoods feels the impact of neglect and inaction from politicians. I talk with my children about the importance of having a voice through voting. Knowing who local politicians are and taking pride in their community is a part of adulting. There is power in voting. Politicians don’t hear the voices of those who don’t speak.

For information on how to research candidates visit www.citizenscount.org/elections

–Anthony Payton is an award-winning columnist based in Manchester. He can be reached at Anthony.Payton@collaborativenh.org

These stories are part of The Common Ground Initiative which aims to highlight the diversity of our communities with stories of people the average Granite Stater might not get to see or meet, clarify misconceptions and find the threads that bind us all together as one New Hampshire community.  They are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.