The Fight to Restore Voting Rights to Four Million Ex-Offenders

Civil and Human Rights News 09.20,10

The Leadership Conference in Civil and Human Rights is working with its coalition partners to help restore the voting rights of Americans disenfranchised as a result of their encounters with the criminal justice system.

As part of that effort, the National Black Law Student Association (NBLSA) hosted a recent rally at the University of the District of Columbia in support of legislation that would restore voting rights to ex-felons.

Speakers at the event included individuals affected by felony disenfranchisement; members of the NBLSA; Katherine S. Broderick, dean of the University of the District of Columbia’s Law School; and representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Kimberly Haven, executive director of Justice Maryland, described the feeling of having her voting rights restored due to Maryland’s Voting Registration Protection Act: “My vote is my voice. My voice is my power.