California has historically been a leader in reversing the symptoms of Jim Crow laws that continue to exist in the United States. These Laws restricted Blacks from securing housing and exercising their voting rights. The federal government turned a blind eye to the local and state laws that reenforced slave conditions on the newly freed population and many states took advantage, but in 1953 a California appeals court upheld the NAACP’s finding that housing segregation violated the Fourteenth Amendment. The state of California stood behind the NAACP in protecting the rights of those being limited by oppressive laws. While the decision forced cities like San Francisco to abandon segregation, California’s choice was not widely imitated. Nationwide segregation remained the the rule. Now as nationwide felony disenfranchisement has become the status quo, will California take stance on the other side of the line?
California Has Fallen Behind in Protecting Citizen’s Voting Rights So far….
Now California has fallen behind in its position as a nationwide leader in protecting human rights. In the same way that the Fair Housing Act couldn’t protect low income residents from gentrification, the Voting Rights Act is failing hundreds of thousands of citizens who are ineligible to vote due to felony disenfranchisement. Those things we fought so hard for in the 50s have evolved into the same issues with a different name. The legislation that was blanketed over us in the 60s can’t protect us anymore now that new conditions have been set, barring people in prison and on parole from having any legislative voice to protect.
Organizations like Initiate Justice have identified the gap in legislation and are working as apart of the Right2Vote Campaign to take the first step to restore the voting rights of people on parole. Currently there are 239,000 California residents that are locked up in state prisons, federal prisons and local jails. None of these residents have voting rights. In addition to these there are another 50,000 residents who have been released from prison that continue to be ineligible to vote while on parole. The disenfranchised population is not only grossly large but is also racially skewed.
Skewed Incarceration Rates Thwart POC Political Power
California’s incarceration rate is 581 for every 100,000 people. When we examine the specific incarceration rate based upon race the numbers get even more alarming. The rate is lower for whites at 453 and then nearly doubles for hispanics at 757. Then incarceration rate for Blacks is over 6x higher at 3,036! Because of this Blacks are overrepresented in the incarcerated population by 27%.
Knowing that Black and Hispanic people are overrepresented in prison and much more likely to be incarcerated than that of whites, the impact of felony disenfranchisement dismantles the potential political power of these communities. A biased system leaves minorities’ voices thwarted in state and federal elections and their policy decisions. Only a government that’s unconcerned with the abusing rights of these populations would allow these felony disenfranchisement to exist.
ACA 6 Works to Fix the Problem
Recognizing the persistent problem that felony disenfranchisement creates to silence hundreds of thousands and Californians, in 2018 Initiate Justice collected thousands of signatures in favor of the Voting Restoration and Democracy Act that would have restored the right to vote to 162,000 people in state prisons and on parole in California. While the Voting Restoration and Democracy Act did not receive the amount of signatures required to become law, IJ’s work did educate the public and raise awareness about the severity of the issue of voting rights in California.
Now organizers are taking a different approach working through the legislature with ACA 6, Free the Vote Act. The bill was introduced in January by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) and is now co-authored by Assemblymembers Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), Bonta (D-Oakland), Gipson (D-Carson), Gonzalez (D-San Diego), Kalra (D-San Jose), Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), Stone (D-Monterey Bay), Weber (D-San Diego), Mullin (D-South San Francisco), and Senator Wiener (D-San Francisco). Since being introduced the bill has passed through both the Assembly Elections Committee and the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Organizers look forward to the bill being favorably voted on on the Assembly Floor before it is moved through the Senate to be added to the 2020 election ballot in the Spring. Eventually the people will have the opportunity to play their role in re-enfranchising tens of thousands of California
What Can You Do to Help before the Ballot Comes in 2020?
In order for this bill to continue to be successful as it moves through the legislative process, it is essential that the people stay involved in voicing their support of expanding the right to vote to include people on parole. Without ongoing support from the people, we could lose the opportunity to vote on this bill. This can be done through contacting your representative by writing a letter of support for ACA 6 and sending it through email or in the post. You can also contact your representative on social media, the majority of our legislatures are easy to reach out to on twitter.
During this month of Black August Right2Vote will be having a #NewSuffrageMvmt Social Media Campaign. Join the New Suffrage Movement by supporting ACA 6 this #Black August and tweeting at one of the assemblymembers that will be voting on the bill this fall: Rendon (Speaker of the Assembly) @Rendon63rd, Boerner- Horvath @tashaboerner, Cervantes @AsmCervantes, Chau @AsmEdChau, Chen @PhillipChenCA, Cunningham @Cunning_Jordan, Flora @HeathFloraCA, Frazier @AsmFrazier, Gray @AdamGrayCA, Irwin @ASM_Irwin, Kiley @KevinKileyCA, Maienschein @BMaienschein, Mayes @ChadMayes, Muratsuchi @AMuratsuchi, Nazarian @Asm_Nazarian, Petrie-Norris @AsmCottie, Quirk-Silva @QuirkSilva65th, Ramos @AsmJamesRamos, Rivas @LuzRivas, Rubio @AsmBlancaRubio, Salas @rudysalasjr, Smith @AsmChristySmith
- Complete a letter of support to send to your representative in the mail or email
- Call your representative to let them know your position in favor of ACA 6
- Attend ACA 6’s Press Conference in Sacramento, CA at 9:30a PT
Join the Democracy Needs Everyone Dialogues on twitter on August 7 from 3:00-4:00p PT - Send a Tweet to California Reps as a part of the #NewSuffrageMvmt Social Media campaign
