LATEST NEWS!

The Voter Enfranchisement Project is in the news! See our Op-Ed in the Village Voice, entitled "Barred from the Ballot Box: On the anniversary of women's suffrage, a case for letting people with felony convictions vote." Click here to read it.

Also, check out VEPs newest initiative, Better Ballots, that provides New York voters with candidates' statements on critical issues at www.betterballotsny.org.

MISSION At The Bronx Defenders, we believe that increasing civic engagement through education and organizing is a critical ‘Defender’ ideal. The Voter Enfranchisement Project (VEP) is a nonpartisan effort focused on increasing the civic participation of South Bronx residents who have contact with the criminal justice system. In collaboration with South Bronx residents, local community groups, and The Bronx Defenders, VEP seeks to:

• Educate residents about their rights as participants in the political process;
• Increase voter turnout and other civic participation in the community; and
• Ensure that South Bronx voters are able to cast meaningful ballots at the polls.

MISINFORMATION Contact with the criminal justice system, whether with law enforcement or time spent in jails, prisons, on probation, or on parole, alienates individuals and communities. One often-neglected dimension of this alienation is the power of felon disenfranchisement laws and the confusion that surrounds these laws to effectively silence entire communities. Individuals in New York State only lose the right to vote if they have been convicted of a felony and are currently in prison or currently on parole. Yet, many individuals mistakenly believe that they cannot vote once their sentence is complete, while they are on probation, after an arrest, or while they are awaiting trial.

In the fall of 2005, VEP surveyed clients of The Bronx Defenders regarding their knowledge of felon disenfranchisement laws and their political participation history. Confirming the poor administration of felon disenfranchisement laws that vary in each state, those surveyed both over-stated and, more disturbingly, under-stated the voting rights of those who have contact with the criminal justice system in New York. The over-statement of voting rights is problematic because it has the potential to decrease voter turnout, as those who improperly believe they can vote may attempt to vote, be turned away, and therefore be less likely to vote in the future. The under-statement of voting rights is problematic because it means that people who have the right to vote are never making it to the polls.

• 54% mistakenly believed that an individual could not vote while awaiting trial at Rikers
• 38% mistakenly believed that an individual could vote in New York while on parole (Individuals in New York can only vote on parole if they have received a Certificate of Good Conduct or a Certificate of Relief from Disability.)
• 32% mistakenly believed an individual could not vote in New York while on probation
• 24% mistakenly believed a felony conviction in New York resulted in a permanent loss of voting rights
• 16% mistakenly believed an individual could not vote in New York if convicted of a misdemeanor

STRUCTURAL BARRIERS The de facto disenfranchisement of communities like the South Bronx is further exacerbated by structural barriers that keep people from the polls. Voters do not receive registration cards and do not know where to vote. Poll workers do not have accurate information about who can and cannot vote. Voting machines malfunction. The VEP survey results confirmed that 57% of those who had contact with the criminal justice system believed they were registered to vote. Yet, only 24% were actually on the voter rolls at the Bronx Board of Elections, indicating confusion regarding registration procedures and potential problems with the processing of registration forms at the Bronx Board of Elections. Even more disturbing is that nationally and even within the borough of the Bronx, upwards of 70 percent of the voting age population is registered to vote.

THE EFFECT Over the long-term, misinformation about voting and structural barriers to casting a ballot combine to create a disconnect between the community and the political process, leading eligible voters to ask: why should I vote? Anyone who has been involved in the work of registering voters and “getting out the vote” knows the significance of this question, a question that becomes even more compelling, even more challenging, when expressed by those who have had contact with the criminal justice system and are excluded systematically from the political process. In spite of these barriers, the VEP survey confirmed that South Bronx residents who have had contact with the criminal justice system are trying to overcome these obstacles and cast a ballot.

• 48% of those surveyed by VEP voted in the 2004 Presidential election as compared to the national average of 70% of registered voters.
• 24% of those surveyed by VEP voted in the 2005 mayoral election as compared to the estimated national average of 55% of registered voters.

The gaps among people with criminal justice involvement—people who have a right to vote and participate in the political process—are compelling and troubling. Organizations like VEP must work to emphasize the importance of elections as a form of civic participation, particularly local elections. When considered in light of all the misinformation and structural barriers that exist, these statistics suggest that residents of the South Bronx have the potential to vote at much higher rates. These statistics also suggest that the disconnect creating the national drop in turnout from Presidential to non-Presidential elections is exacerbated in communities that have contact with the criminal justice system. Nationally, the turnout rate between Presidential and non-Presidential elections drops by 15 percentage points, yet that drop almost doubles among people with criminal justice involvement.

COMMUNITY-BASED SOLUTIONS The Voter Enfranchisement Project strengthens electoral participation of South Bronx residents by dispelling myths surrounding felon disenfranchisement laws, assisting individuals in navigating the electoral process, and advocating for policy changes in election administration. VEP designs educational materials and voter guides and conducts trainings specifically addressing the needs of voters who may have had contact with the criminal justice system. At the same time, VEP works closely with community-based organizations to increase their capacity and efficacy in educating, registering, and mobilizing voters.

VEP’s education and registration efforts culminate in providing trained volunteers as poll monitors at South Bronx polling sites on Election Day. These trained community volunteers, law students, and lawyers assist voters in casting meaningful ballots at the polls, while documenting any problems they encounter. Current local organizations with which VEP collaborates include: Bronx Pryde, Cultural Renaissance for Economic Revitalization, Highbridge Center for Community Life, Impact, La Pena del Bronx, Mothers on the Move, and Power Writing. .