Kelly Olson speaks about working to inform formerly incarcerated people of their right to vote

In an article from Northwest Public Broadcasting, Kelly Olson (Leading with Conviction™ 2022), says that many formerly incarcerated people do not know about their right to vote. Kelly is a member of the Free the Vote Washington coalition and the Policy Manager at Civil Survival, a nonprofit which helps people in Washington who’ve been impacted by the criminal legal system.

“Literally, if you’re standing outside a prison wall, you have the right to vote”

“The history of voter disenfranchisement is rooted in racism, said Olson, who’s also the policy manager at the nonprofit Civil Survival, which helps people in Washington who’ve been impacted by the criminal legal system.

“‘There never has been any public threat other than the threat to people who are in positions of power,’ Olson said.

“She said studies show people who are civically engaged have lower recidivism rates.

“’They feel like they’re part of their society, part of their community, and that their voice matters,’ she said.

“The Washington State Department of Corrections now gives people voting pamphlets as they leave prison. Olson, who was released in 2007, said it was a little scary to vote before the law. All the restrictions were confusing. Getting your voting rights back felt complicated.

“’It used to be that you had to pay all of your legal financial obligations before you could vote. And then it was you needed to be making payments on it,’ she said.”

Read the full article from Northwest Public Broadcasting.