In the Arizona Mirror, Joe Watson (Leading with Conviction™ 2024) writes that it’s time to restore voting rights to people with a felony conviction.
“When Arizona’s voter registration deadline passed earlier this month, so with it went my last hope of voting for the first time in almost 20 years.
“I cannot vote in Arizona because I have a felony conviction history. In our state, hundreds of thousands of people like me have lost their civil rights because of a felony conviction history, including the right to serve on a jury, hold public office, own or possess a firearm and — most importantly to me — the right to vote. …
To the Maricopa County judge who denied my petition, only my past defines me. It doesn’t matter what I’ve done since my convictions or how hard I’ve worked to redeem myself. To him, my worst moments are all that matter.
“The right to vote is fundamental in a democracy. It’s how we participate in shaping our communities and our country. Denying that right to someone who has fulfilled all legal requirements is a blatant attempt to suppress their voice.
“In Arizona, people are disenfranchised not because they are a danger to society but because the system deliberately punishes them long after they’ve served their time, using outdated laws and bureaucratic red tape to keep them from reclaiming their right to vote.”
Read more from the Arizona Mirror.
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
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