MI- Ex-felons, homeless are part of state voting process

7-3-2008 Michigan:

DETROIT — The 2008 primary race for the highest office in the nation has brought millions of new voters to the polls. With the end of the primary season and the beginning of the general election, many more will finally become active participants. But what about access to the polls for those whom society has attempted to marginalize?

The purging of Florida citizens, ex-felons and non-felons alike, from voter rolls in 2000 is just one example of a state apparatus intentionally eliminating minorities from the election process. In addition, new photo ID laws popping up around the country create more barriers to voter participation.

The 2004 presidential election in the U.S. resulted in numerous cases of alleged election fraud and a lack of sufficient numbers of voting machines.

In Michigan, the homeless and ex-felons are legally entitled to vote.

According to statistics obtained from the U.S. Justice Department by the Sentencing Project, 13% of Black men are unable to vote in America due to felony conviction laws. Like many states, ex-felons in Michigan keep their right to vote once they’ve served the community. Their voting status remains exactly the same as it was before a felony conviction.

However, according to Marc Mauer, executive director for the Washington D.C. based Sentencing Project, Corrections Departments in most states don’t go far enough in getting the word out to prisoners.

“It’s the lack of information,” Mauer told the Michigan Citizen. “There’s no systematic means by which they are informed of their right to vote.”

Mauer says many parolees incorrectly believe that they are unable to vote—an opinion often substantiated by misinformed election officials. He sites a recent 10 state survey in which 31% of local election officials misunderstood voting laws for ex-felons.

Kwasi Akwamu, from Helping Our Prisoners Elevate (H.O.P.E.), a Detroit prisoner advocacy group, says that prisoners often come out with the intention of addressing a system that unjustly led to their incarceration.

“Most people that go to prison gain a greater awareness,” Akwamu said. “We encourage ex-prisoners to vote—to become part of that process and change those harsh policies.”

Akwamu also says that one problem ex-prisoners often experience is maintaining the proper ID.

Ken Silfven, of the Michigan Secretary of State’s office, says that the Department of Corrections in Michigan is spending more time with ID issues for outgoing prisoners.

“We’re involved in the prison reentry program initiative,” Silfven told the Michigan Citizen, “with one goal being to get prisoners proper identification once released.”

Silfven talked about a new Secretary of State mobile office, which is targeting hard to reach populations like veterans, the elderly and the homeless.

Cheryl P. Johnson of the Coalition On Temporary Shelter told the Michigan Citizen that the 13,000 homeless in Detroit also have the opportunity to vote through absentee ballots.

COTS has four locations in the Detroit area which house homeless citizens in transition and permanent residents who may suffer from physical disabilities.

The city clerk’s office has traditionally had a presence at the shelters during elections to register voters and promote awareness, Johnson told the Michigan Citizen.

“We definitely focus on getting people knowledge about their voting rights,” Johnson says.

Johnson also said that local and national candidates have campaigned at temporary and permanent shelters in an effort to address the problem of homelessness and the people that have been victims of it.

“We’ve always had that kind of open door policy to allow nominees to come and speak.” ..News Source.. by Eric T. Campbell, The Michigan Citizen