BLACK VOTES MATTER: 40,000 FORMER CONVICTS NOW ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN MARYLAND

Feeling Rebloggy

A bill passed last year in the Maryland General Assembly goes into effect, restoring voting rights to about 40,000 ex-prisoners. Governor Larry Hogan vetoed the bill.

[But Maryland's General Assembly, under pressure from voters and those unable to vote in an area fed up after Freddie Gray's death among other things, overrode that veto]

At least 25 groups—representing low-income people, incarcerated people, union members, and people of color—championed the bill, which was originally introduced in 2015, and helped it overcome the governor’s veto. The coalition branded itself as "UNLOCK THE VOTE"

Most of these groups traditionally focused on issues other than voting rights. But organizers realized that their low-income members were struggling to secure housing, receive education grants, or pass background checks necessary for jobs. Meanwhile, many of them were powerless to support policy changes because they were disenfranchised. The law suppressed voting among the community, too.

YES! Magazine

Please do read more: One man talks about how hurt he was to be unable to vote for President Obama, not once but twice http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/40-000-former-convicts-in-maryland-have-new-voting-rights-today-here2019s-how-it-happened-20160310

2015 Voting Rights Map Maryland, at the very least, has changed colors

Please take a look at the link below and take 4 minutes to listen to VOTING RIGHTS GAMES being played in states like Florida

These are fairly significant games when you add Voter ID Laws and bogus "Voter Restoration Processes" (Never heard of this before. And I can't believe this nonsense isn't unconstitutional. Some of this is an explanation for how Lil Bush got to be president in the first place)http://wuwf.org/post/push-restore-felon-voting-rights#stream/0