Around 11 p.m. one Friday night in early October, Esther Lim and Daisy Ramirez, Organizers with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, stood with Three Volunteers holding Clipboards, Pens, and Voter Registration Forms. For a little over Four hours, they waited for Inmates to be Released from the Orange County Jail.
Around 3:30 a.m., Juan Torres, 28, walked out. As he tried to figure out how to get a ride home, Ramirez approached and asked him if he wanted to Register to Vote. He hadn’t known he was Eligible, but when he found out he was, he filled in the Registration Form, illuminated by a Cellphone Flashlight. “I always thought that being a convicted felon you lose your right to vote,” he said. “It feels good because you’re winning back a right that was taken away.”
In California, People with a Felony Conviction can Vote as long as they aren’t currently Incarcerated in State or Federal Prison, on Parole, or in County Jail for a Parole Violation. Otherwise-eligible Jail Inmates are Permitted to Vote by Mail.
Torres is one of the roughly 6,000 likely Eligible Voters who are Detained in the Orange County Jail at any given time that the ACLU of Southern California is trying to reach through a Program it calls Unlock The Vote. They face a big Obstacle. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, currently led by Sandra Hutchens, won’t let them set foot inside the Jail to talk about Voting. Instead they must wait outside, across the street, where they approach Inmates as they’re Released and ask them to Register.
It’s a Mission that, at times, can seem Quixotic. Around 30 Inmates were released that Friday; the ACLU Registered only Four. But even if a fraction of those 6,000 Current or Since-Released Inmates Vote in November, it could make a big difference.
Along with a Local Nonprofit that serves Food and Coffee to Newly Released Inmates, Employees and Volunteers with the ACLU post themselves outside of the Orange County Central Men’s and Women’s Jail from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday nights in hopes of Informing Newly Released Folks and their Family Members that in California, unless someone is in State or Federal Prison or on Parole, they still have the Right to Vote.
The ACLU is Suing both the District Attorney and the Sheriff over the Jailhouse Informant Program. The County’s Criminal Justice Crisis has led to Investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and the California Attorney General’s Office. But in the years since those were launched, both Agencies have Failed to Announce any Findings or bring any Charges against any Officials, raising Disturbing Questions about the Seriousness of the Probes.
The Local ACLU is undeterred by the difficulty in Registering People in the Jail to Vote. Earlier this year, they began Mailing Envelopes stuffed with Voter Registration Information to as many of the Thousands of Inmates as possible. On weekends, they also try to get Family Members Visiting a Loved one at the Jail to Register themselves and to Pass on Registration Forms to the Person they’re Visiting.
Since the ACLU began the effort in February, they’ve sent about 3,750 Mailers with Voter Information and talked with Hundreds of People Visiting their Families and Loved Ones at the Orange County Jail. But when it comes to Voter Registration, the Numbers are much Lower.
Ahead of California’s June Primary, 87 People had Registered from inside the Jail. The number of Inmates who have Registered since the Primary is not yet released. By standing outside the Orange County Jail before the Primary and General Elections, the ACLU Registered another 85 People, including 42 Inmates who were being Released and 43 people who were there to Visit Inmates.
Not allowing the ACLU inside the Jail also prevents Organizers from following up with those who Registered but are still behind Bars to make sure they can actually Vote. Only 16 of those 87 Inmates got Mail-In Ballots for the Primary and just Eight actually Voted by Mail from the Jail.
That Friday night, Ramirez said she had No Illusions about how difficult this Registration Work is. It would be so much easier if the Group were Allowed to go inside the Jail, she said. Still, the Obstacles to Registering People in Jail underscored why it’s important to Target Inmates as a Population to Register.
On Friday Nights, the ACLU Partners with Micah’s Way, an Organization serving Orange County’s Homeless Population. The Group Parks its RV Outside of the Jail and Offers Coffee, Pizza, and Cell Phone Charging to Inmates who were just Released. Micah’s Way Board President Vaskin Koshkerian said “It’s very easy to say, ‘Oh, they didn’t let us in the jails. Guess we can’t do Unlock The Vote here.’ I feel like people bank on that being the case,” she said. “It serves as more motivation to continue doing the work.”
It doesn’t have to be this Hard to Register People in Jail. Just North of Orange County, the ACLU has been allowed inside the Los Angeles County Jail to Register Inmates. They estimate they’ve Registered about 4,000 People there. Efforts in Jails in Chicago and New York, among other Places, have also added New Voters to the Rolls.
Those numbers add up. There are 700,000 People Detained in Jails across the Country who are likely eligible to Vote, but don’t know they can. Forty-Eight States Strip People of their Voting Rights after they’re Convicted of a Felony. But People can still Vote while they’re awaiting Trial in jail or if they’re Serving Time for a Misdemeanor.
Registering Inmates just after they’ve been Released from Jail is also crucial, Experts say. Those People have had their Freedom Stripped Away, and now the simple act of Registering to vote can help Restore their Voice in Society. In fact, a 2004 Study found a Correlation between Voting and Lower Rates of Recidivism. Christopher Uggen, a Professor at the University of Minnesota and one of the Authors of that Study, said that Welcoming someone out of Jail with a voter Registration Form can have a Positive Psychological Impact.
“It’s a positive human interaction to connect with somebody at that moment and remind them and assist them in taking up those rights and responsibilities of citizenship,” he said.
Ramirez first approached Officials about Registering People in the Orange County Jail late last year, but said she was Rebuffed when Jail Officials cited worries over Security, Staffing Capacity, and a concern that the ACLU would begin Inquiring into other Jailhouse Conditions. Months later, they Approached the Jail Again about Setting up a Table in the Lobby when Families come to Visit. They were Rejected again.
Carrie Braun, a Spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Denied Repeated Requests to Explain why the ACLU isn’t allowed inside the Jail to Register Voters. Braun said the Jail gives Inmates Access to Registration Forms and Requests for Mail-In Ballots. “While we have not allowed any outside organization to directly do voter outreach inside the jail, our Inmate Programs staff has been meeting regularly with the ACLU to aid in disseminating info and ensuring that inmates who are eligible to vote have access to the information regarding voting,” she said.
When Ramirez first asked to see the Jail’s Voting Policy, she said they didn’t even have the Correct PO Box and ZIP Code for the Local Election Office. She said Jail Officials Corrected that immediately when she Alerted them to the Problem. Still, she said, she doesn’t know how many Ballots may have been Lost.
There has been some Incremental progress. Ahead of California’s Primary Election, the ACLU didn’t include an Actual Voter Registration Form in its Mailings to Inmates out of concern that would Violate the Jail’s Policy on how Detainees were supposed to Request Voter Information. Since then, Jail Officials have Clarified that the ACLU can Include Voter Registration Forms. Jail Officials have also made it Easier for Inmates to Request a Ballot and have begun making Announcements Informing People inside the Jail that they can Vote.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
No comments:
Post a Comment