serene | (no subject)

The best moment from yesterday was when a young man said he couldn't vote because he's a felon. I said, "Did you finish your parole?"

"Yes."

"Then you're an EX-felon, and you can vote."

"Are you SURE?!?!?"

I showed him the FAQ, where it says clearly that once you've served your parole, you can vote, and he was SO excited. He registered, and now he can't wait to vote in the election. He had been feeling really disappointed that he couldn't vote at such an important time.

(In my opinion, people should be able to vote even if they're on parole or in prison, but that's not the way it is in California, where I live and vote.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That rocks.

YAY! My best friend was totally psyched about the idea that he could register to vote though he'd thought he couldn't because he was a convicted person (he and I researched it and figured out he could vote). What a horrid misconception for folks who want to participate.

There's an ongoing campaign in congress to nationalize rules about who can vote.