Brittany Lovely calls for voting rights to be restored to formerly incarcerated people

“In Texas, [people with felony convictions] get their right to vote back after completing their full sentence, which includes time behind bars but also probation, parole and supervised release.

“Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, introduced the Democracy Restoration Act last month to restore voting rights in federal elections to all released [persons with felony convictions] regardless of parole or probation status, and regardless of state laws. …

“[Leading with Conviction™ 2022 graduate] Brittany Lovely, coordinator for the Washington Statewide Reentry Council, said her own voting rights were unclear after she was released in Washington state eight years ago. She served about 18 months in prison for a felony drug charge.

“‘I had been told that my rights would be taken away, but there was no clarity about if, when or how I might get them back,’ she said at Crockett’s news conference, adding that she could easily have ended up in a situation like [Crystal] Mason’s after unsuccessfully seeking guidance from her corrections officer, the county clerk and elections staff.

“‘I got multiple different answers. I got pointed in different directions. And nobody knew,’ she said.”

Read more from the Union-Bulletin.

(Photo from Brittany Lovely, used by permission)

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