Ezekiel Edwards

Trying to Heal Our Democracy

Following up on my previous entries regarding voter disenfranchisement ("Give Back the Right to Vote", "Prohibited From Participating in the Political Process", "Tough Day for Voting Rights", "The Census Bureau Must Sharpen Its Senses", "History Repeats Itself", and "The (Un)Usual Residence Rule", there was a recent article as well as an Op-Ed in the New York Times about a national panel's recommendation that the Census Bureau study whether it should count prisoners as residents of the counties they come from, as opposed to the counties in which they are incarcerated.

In addition, this Thursday, September 21st, the Voter Enfranchisement Project (VEP), is hosting its first annual fundraiser. VEP is a nonpartisan effort focused on increasing the civic participation of South Bronx residents who have contact with the criminal justice system (through a collaboration with South Bronx residents, local community groups, and The Bronx Defenders).

In its own words, VEP seeks to (1) educate residents about their rights as participants in the political process; (2) increase voter turnout and other civic participation in the community; and (3) ensure that South Bronx voters are able to cast meaningful ballots at the polls.

VEP recognizes the alienating effect of felon disenfranchisement laws on members of poor communities as well as the misinformation surrounding these laws. For instance, even though individuals in New York State lose the right to vote only if they have been convicted of a felony and are currently in prison or on parole, many people --- both voters and those in charge of voting booths --- erroneously think people cannot vote even after their sentence is complete, while they are on probation or awaiting trial, or after an arrest. These common misperceptions, combined with structural barriers (such as voting machine malfunction, voters not receiving registration cards or information regarding where to vote, and problems with the processing of registration forms at the Board of Elections), result in unnecessary and unfair deprivation of voters rights as well as manifesting anger, frustration, and cynicism between the community and the political process.

VEP advocates for community-based solutions, from helping individuals wade through the electoral process to agitating for broad policy changes in election administration.

Through the efforts of groups like VEP and the Prison Policy Initiative, media attention from the New York Times and the Brooklyn Rail, and volunteer efforts by members of the community, we can achieve greater civic participation and take a step closer towards an inclusive, genuinely democratic political system.

Ezekiel Edwards: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 7:00 AM, Sep 19, 2006 in Civil Rights | Democracy | Voting Rights
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