Informing Incarcerated Citizens Nationwide: Right2Vote Report Distribution

Did you know that there are people in  jails, prison and detention facilities scattered around the nation who are desperate to learn more about what's happening in their legislature? 

Many people impacted by mass incarceration who are eligible to vote have no idea of their voting status because of confusing voter eligibility laws. On top of this, incarcerated citizens who are still constituents to their legislatures have No idea how to connect with their representatives in congress.

At SawariMedia we publish a national newsletter, the Right2Vote Report, in order to keep incarcerated citizens informed of the ways that they can engage in their local, state and federal elections. 

“The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy but to ban people from voting simply due to past mistakes and bad decisions, a decision which vastly affects minorities, leads more towards totalitarianism than democracy” – Subscriber, Peter incarcerated at Red Onion State Prison in Virginia

WHY?

In 2018 incarcerated organizers made national headlines with 17 states participating in the National Prison Strike. Their non-violent demonstrations, held from August 21, 2018 - September 9, 2018, ended with a call for, "The voting rights of all confined citizens serving prison sentences, pretrial detainees, and so-called “ex-felons” must be counted. Representation is demanded. All voices count!" in demand #10

In response to their call, the Right2Vote Report was established to keep incarcerated organizers and eligible inmate voters informed about the new legislation that would impact their lives. The Right2Vote Report is currently produced on a bi-monthly basis and distributed to people incarcerated in hundreds of facilities across 30 states. 

What Your Contribution Will Support

Your  dollars will help us to

• Increate the number of  facilities in new states receiving the Right2Vote Report Newsletter
• Increase the number of free newsletter subscriptions being sent to incarcerated supporters
• Increase the amount of media (video, podcast, webinar, print) produced and distributed for local and regional awareness of inmate voting rights and voting education opportunities

LEARN MORE: What's the significance of Felony Disenfranchisement?

On April 15, 2018 seven men lost their lives and over two dozen were seriously injured at Lee County Prison as a result of South Carolina Department staff negligence for over seven hours. The tragic event was the deadliest prison massacre in decades and yet none of the prisoners were interviewed by media outlets in the days, or weeks following the tragedy. An incarcerated group of activists, Jailhouse Lawyers Speak, recognized that this incident could happen in any one of the nation's facilities. 

The circumstances that led to the death of their peers including: overcrowding, lack of rehabilitative programming and understaffing; are identical to that of all of the prisons in the United States. In response to the conditions that resulted in the Lee County Massacre activists organized a National Prison Strike for which 17 states participated in peaceful demonstrations from August 21, 2018 - September 9, 2018 ending with a call for voting rights. 

We can only expect to solve the problem of mass incarceration if we allow those impacted to be civically engaged.

“Giving every citizen voting rights expedites the rebuilding process of our communities. Incarceration took many things away from me but it did not take away my citizenship. Democracy needs everyone and everyone includes people in prison and on parole. I believe we all can contribute positively to our political system if given the chance” – Subscriber, Juan incarcerated at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in California