Prison journalism: Prisoner's right to voteThe basic right to vote as a prisoner or ex-convict. Revoked or even deprived from in differing prisons in differing states and countries.
by Prison Journalism Project
09-06-2023 19:46
in Prison Journalism
The IEC ballot box used by voter's in South Africa Image: @IEC
Prison Journalism Project trains incarcerated writers to become journalists and publishes their stories. Subscribe to Inside Story to receive exclusive behind-the-scene looks at our best stories, as well as author profiles and other insights.
--
A couple weeks ago, I watched the final debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden as millions of other Americans did. But for me, it was an exercise in futility. As much as I want to vote, I can't. I was a prisoner at California's San Quentin State Prison until last January, and I'm out on parole. Under California law, a parolee does not have the right to vote.
My situation is not extraordinary. According to the Sentencing Project's Oct. 14 report, I am one of 5.2 million Americans, who cannot vote because they've been convicted of a felony. Even though I served more than 28 years in prison to pay for second-degree murder, I'm still not allowed what is arguably the most basic right of a citizen.
ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: When what goes around comes around' is a good thing
--
The United States is among the most punitive nations in the world when it comes to denying its citizens a vote. Eleven states take away felons' voting rights indefinitely for certain crimes. Another 21 states require a waiting period, often while the felon is on probation or parole. Only 18 states plus the District of Columbia immediately restore felons' voting rights after they are released from prison. And you have to be incarcerated in Maine, Vermont and the District of Columbia to actually retain voting rights while in prison, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
By comparison most of the countries in Europe allow prisoners to vote when released. Canada, South Africa and Israel allow prisoners to vote while incarcerated. Even Yigal Amir, Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin's assassin and one of the most despised citizens in the country, has had his voting rights upheld.
The United States must change the way it thinks about felons' voting rights. It's certainly started to do that. Twelve states have already loosened voting restrictions for felons in the last four years. But next week on Election Day voters in the largest state in the country, California, can give this movement an enormous boost. Currently, prisoners and parolees like me can't vote in California. Proposition 17 will change that and give every felon out on parole in California, like me, the right to cast a ballot. I can't cast a ballot in favor of Prop. 17, for President or anything else on Tuesday. But I hope it might be the last time that happens to me.
--
ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: Black and Gay in prison
Opponents of measures like Prop. 17 say that loss of voting privileges is not an additional punishment for being convicted of a felony, it is part of the punishment. No one told me that. I thought being incarcerated and losing my job, my home, my children's birthdays, graduations and marriages for 28 years was my punishment. I thought the goal of releasing me back into society was to encourage me to restart my life - to get a job, rebuild my family, participate in my community, and be counted to vote.
I also think prisoners should be allowed to vote while incarcerated, though Proposition 17 doesn't address this issue. Among the many objections to this are those who contend that prisoners disrupt elections. They say the incarcerated would be swing votes in close local contests. But that doesn't have to happen. Prisoners could continue to be registered in their pre-prison locations. I love America deeply, and even though I was away from home for a long time, I still had great concern for my community. My family and friends were still there. Prison was never my home.
The restoration of voting rights to convicted felons seem to particularly worry Republicans because they think Democrats will benefit, but that is not necessarily true. I have met and know many prisoners that are very conservative in their political views and have strong opinions on issues like birth control, immigration and foreign policy. They would vote solely for Republican-endorsed candidates and issues.
ALSO READ: Prison life: The daily routine of an inmate at Pollsmoor
I understand that some will say I'm the worst spokesman for this issue. After all, I killed another human with a bullet. I'd say I'm exactly the person who should be speaking up. I know what it's like to lose my right to vote. And now that the State of California has released me from custody, I know how important voting will be to my future success as an American citizen.
Written by Salvadore Solorio
This article was originally published in partnership with Prison Journalism Project, a national, independent news organisation that trains incarcerated writers to be journalists and publishes their writing.
Do you have contact with a prison inmate who would like to write for The South African website?
If so, send an email to info@thesouthafrican.com or a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211
You can also follow @TheSAnews on Twitter and The South African on Facebook to get the latest prisoner journalism articles.
Are you a true Skeem Saam soapie superfan? Please participate in our famous soapie quiz and WIN R1 000 in cash!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
04/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
04/04/2026
1080p HDR arrives, a new generation of storytelling tools takes center stage, an...
04/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
04/04/2026
Faster, cleaner and more intuitive than ever
The control software for Flock Audio's digitally controlled patchbay systems has just been treated to an up...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
DHD Introduces AI-Based Audio Noise Reduction to XD3 IP Core
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
The accompanying image shows the rear panel of the ...
04/04/2026
Macnica Redefines ST 2110 Flexibility with Two Speeds on One Card
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB Show 2026, MEP100 SmartNIC now sup...
04/04/2026
Unified Media Workflows for Story-Centric Production
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
Framelight X unifies field capture, editing and publishing ...
03/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
03/04/2026
Avid will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (April 18-22, Booth N2226, Las Vegas Convention Center), demonstrating its Content Core platform and new AI-driven workflow c...
03/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has announced the appointment of Nick Barthee as Chief Operating Officer.
The announcement follows MRMC's transition fro...
03/04/2026
Interra Systems has announced that Elite Media Technologies has selected its BATON file-based QC solution for media workflows. Elite Media Technologies speciali...
03/04/2026
Ateme has announced that Moldtelecom has deployed Ateme technologies across its streaming workflow, covering encoding, delivery, operations, and analytics.
Mol...
03/04/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate Framelight X, its content management platform, at NAB Show 2026. The platform connects capture, ingest, editing, and publishing in...
03/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Techex have announced a cloud-native Master Control ...
03/04/2026
Live Vertical Video automatically track the action on the court via AI technology and delivers a fully optimized, 9 16 live feed for viewers...
03/04/2026
As the Illini make their first trip to college basketball's biggest stage si...
Prison journalism: Prisoner's right to voteThe basic right to vote as a prisoner or ex-convict. Revoked or even deprived from in differing prisons in differing states and countries.
