July 18, 2007

DISMANTLE MYTHS ON THE VOTING RIGHTS
OF INDIVIDUALS WITH FELONY CONVICTIONS

While only two states, Kentucky and Virginia, disenfranchise individuals with felony convictions for life, myths about the voting eligibility of persons with felony convictions abound and may discourage them from registering and voting. Voter protection advocates are encouraged to take steps to dismantle the myths.

A Good Place to Start
Examining the voting-related information reaching your community through public assistance agencies is a good place to start. Because public assistance agencies are required by the National Voter Registration Act to serve as voter registration agencies and have constant contact with the public, ensuring that these agencies have accurate information about the eligibility of persons with felony convictions may impact the community’s shared pool of knowledge.

Pennsylvania Victory
In collaboration with 17 Pennsylvania-based organizations, Advancement Project recently wrote to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) to address their use of two forms erroneously informing public benefits clients that individuals with a felony conviction had to wait five years after release before being eligible to vote. This waiting period had not been in effect since 2000.

In a letter to DPW, the group identified the problem and proposed solutions to: (1) end the dissemination of erroneous information, and (2) undo its effects on the community. In response, the Secretary of DPW agreed to take “immediate steps to correct the problem” and stated that she would “take action to correct false impressions created by past communications.”

DPW has agreed to stop using the outdated form and to create a new one that accurately states the voting rights of the formerly incarcerated; to instruct all caseworkers to destroy old forms in stock; to ensure that state wide County Assistance Offices provide accurate information on the voting rights of the formerly incarcerated, including distributing such information in their waiting rooms; to coordinate with the state’s prisoner re-entry program to ensure that individuals receive information about their voting rights upon release from prison; and to provide corrected information by mail to over 1 million Pennsylvania residents receiving Medicaid benefits.

IF YOU HAVE TAKEN STEPS TO DISMANTLE DISENFRANCHISEMENT MYTHS IN YOUR COMMUNITY OR HAVE QUESTIONS, CONTACT
M. Aurora Vásquez at: avasquez@advancementproject.org.