Description In New York State, people can vote while incarcerated for a misdemeanor or while on probation. As of May 2021, all New Yorkers convicted for a felony have their voting rights immediately and automatically restored upon release from prison, whether or not they are on parole. But, with the election quickly approaching, voting laws in states nationwide continue to prevent millions of Americans with conviction records from participating. For instance, before December, 2019, Kentucky was one of just two states to permanently prohibit voters with prior felonies from exercising their right to vote. To rectify this, various reforms have been implemented to ensure that everyone has that right restored, but the work isn't finished yet. In this episode, two voting advocates will focus on these efforts in their states and others. Bonifacio Aleman, a lead organizer at Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, speaks about campaigning for the Governor’s executive order that restored voting rights to people with felony convictions in the state of Kentucky. At the same time, Dana Vickers Shelley, executive director of the ACLU of Maryland, discusses how denying the right to vote is rooted in a deeply racist system.

Event Date 10/1/2024

TRT 00:27:45