If You're One of the 20,000 Who Got Their Voice Back, Then Join Me in Registering to Vote

I was involved with education, liberation and fighting the stigma of incarceration while inside, but wished I could push the line or pick up a sign.

There’s a lot of remorse I feel for all the people I left behind in prison, and I’m never gonna stop fighting for them.

When people feel involved in the community, we are better as a community.

A bill before the Legislature would return the right to vote to more than 20,000 Washingtonians living and working throughout the state.

"Today, the Washingtonians who are most impacted by our criminal legal system are the furthest from the power of our democracy."

We see the right to vote as an expression of our humanity. The value of this expression should not be measured by one’s prior involvement with a criminal legal system that often demonizes victims and perpetrators of crimes.

After 13 years of hearing thousands of answers and forging hundreds of relationships with people with lived experience, the reality cannot be dismissed: the paths that brought these people into the criminal legal system are often rooted in poverty, racism and inequities in housing, healthcare and education.

Research has shown that when people are civically engaged and have a stake in their community, they are less likely to return to the system.

Research has shown voting increases connection with community, reducing the risk of recidivism.