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Alabama Voting Rights Project Holds Press Conference in Montgomery on Achievements, Importance of Voting Rights

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -听 Today, the Alabama Voting Rights Project and community leaders in Montgomery spoke to the achievements across the state in voting rights restoration and the importance of ensuring every eligible voter in Alabama is registered and can contribute to the democratic process.

Alabama law changed in 2017 (鈥楾he Definition of Moral Turpitude Act鈥) and re-enfranchised tens of thousands of Alabamians with past convictions. Prior to the clarification, were disenfranchised in Alabama, which included 15 percent of the state鈥檚 black population and nearly 8 percent of the total state population.

Staff members and volunteers for the Alabama Voting Rights Project (AVRP), a collaboration between Southern Poverty Law Center and Campaign Legal Center, have spent the past nine months assisting Alabamians with convictions in restoring their right to vote.

鈥淭he passing of HB282 in 2017 may have restored rights to tens of thousands across the state, but many of them have no idea. The Alabama Voting Rights Project has directly assisted 2,000 Alabamians in regaining the right to vote and visited over half the counties in the state, but there is still much more work to do to register every eligible voter,鈥 said Jason Barnes, outreach fellow for the Alabama Voting Rights Project.

鈥淓ven after the passing of the Moral Turpitude Act of 2017, my burglary charge blocks me from being able to vote and that isn鈥檛 right. I鈥檝e paid my debt to society and give back to my community, and a mistake I made in my youth shouldn鈥檛 limit my ability as an adult to participate in my community鈥檚 decisions,鈥 said Timothy Lanier, an Alabama citizen still fighting for his rights.

鈥淧rior to the law change in 2017, when canvassing to register voters, we would come into contact with citizens unable to register because of previous convictions. Now Rolling To The Polls is able to restore their voting rights, educate them in the importance of voting and empower people to participate in the political process,鈥 said Kynesha Brown, Montgomery Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Inc. Rolling To The Polls Initiative Coordinator. 鈥淭he work is particularly important in advance of this year鈥檚 mayoral election in Montgomery.鈥

鈥淚 have seen firsthand lives being changed after voter registration forms are submitted, and it鈥檚 heartwarming and inspiring. The continued work of the Alabama Voting Rights Project and other community organizations鈥 engagement are necessary so that more lives can be touched and political participation across Alabama can be boosted,鈥 said Makhayla DesRosiers, Alabama State University NAACP Political Action Chair Representative.