Photo courtesy of Michael Fleshman

Vote because you can

Formerly incarcerated Humboldt State student encourages utilizing your right to vote
Translate

Formerly incarcerated Humboldt State student encourages utilizing your right to vote

When I was released from Rio Cosumnes Correctional Facility in 2014, I was told three things: I could no longer receive government assistance (like food stamps), I was no longer eligible for financial aid (FAFSA), and lastly I had lost my right to vote.

At that time, to be honest, I only cared about the first two. Voting was the last thing on my mind when I was stumbling my way back into society and trying to forget what I had seen while I was incarcerated. But as time went on I was getting more involved in my community and volunteer outreach, and voting became more important.

I say that because there were candidates on the ballot in Sonoma County that would further help organizations I was working with and others that wouldn’t. I became more interested and started to understand the interdependence.

Although I was keeping track of the candidates running for office, I knew it didn’t matter because I couldn’t even vote for any of them. That all changed when in 2015, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced that the state would settle litigation over laws that had barred low-level felony offenders under community supervision from voting.

This meant that myself and tens of thousands of others who had lost their voting right could vote for the 2016 election. (Bernie lost, but I still feel like my vote mattered, and if anything else I experienced a sense of freedom with casting a ballot.)

The Sentencing Project estimates that nearly six million Americans cannot vote as a result of previous criminal convictions. We may think we’re quite progressive in California, but Maine and Vermont are the only two states that allow voting rights be retained for those still in prison.

According to Nonprofit Vote, there are 15 states ahead of California that allow automatic voting rights restored the second you are released from prison. California doesn’t even do that. In blue states like Colorado and New York, you can only vote until you’re off parole.

Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky are the three states where voting rights can only be restored through individual petition to the government. So even if you do your time and are off parole or probation, you still have no right to vote. They layer punishment atop punishment atop punishment.

If re-entry programs are supposed to help those integrate back into society, but our political voice is taken away, then it undermines the entire purpose of the sentencing. If I pay taxes and am affected day to day by political figures both nationally and locally, then why would I not be able to act on my right to vote?

According to the Prison Policy Initiative there are 242,000 people behind bars in California. That means there is a quarter of a million people who are unable to vote in this state. The Sentencing Project also said that Black Americans are five times more likely to be imprisoned than White Americans, giving more evidence of the modern day slavery that is our prison-industrial complex.

We may think we live in a democratic country, but voter suppression is still happening. Crooked politicians are finding loopholes to keep people from casting their ballot. If voting doesn’t matter, then why would voter suppression be such a big issue?

According to the Brenna Center for Justice, there is a growing range of threats to voting for the 2018 election. North Dakota has been blessed by the Supreme Court for strict voter ID laws that will make it harder for Native Americans to vote. Texas adopted a similar strict voting law and Georgia has passed stricter voter registration that will create hurdles for minority voters.

The Brenna Center for Justice found that there has been a huge increase of vote purging in the states of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, meaning that names identified for removal are determined by faulty criteria that wrongly suggests a voter be deleted from the rolls.

These are just a few examples of how voter suppression is taking form before the 2018 elections, although this has always been happening. Our government have been suppressing votes for as long as they have been an entity.

Know who is running for office. Know the measures and propositions. Whether or not you think your vote doesn’t matter, you will be affected by whatever passes or what doesn’t. When you vote, you are voting for everyone who can’t.

Share This Post

More Stories

Nina G uses comedy to start conversations

During the virtual comedy event held by the SDRC, Nina Ghiselli tells her story and emphasizes the importance of student disability resources within schools.

It’s not just the Capitol Police

As the world watched from their televisions on January 6, we witnessed scenes unfold before our eyes that were, to many, unimaginable: supporters of President Trump swarmed the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building, then proceeded to break in and

The San Jose State University Football Team Comes to Humboldt

On a day’s notice from administration, the SJSU football team spends a week and a half in Humboldt practicing because their county did not allow it. Students react to their presence on campus in the midst of a pandemic. Directed

Homelessness in Humboldt, CA

This is the first trailer of a homeless documentary created by HSU students. We have spent months filming and will continue to film throughout the next year. Follow the heartbreaking stories of the homeless community around Humboldt county and the

Thrifty Arcata

Taking a tour of the local thrift shops in Arcata during the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed and produced by Skylar Gaven.

House Plants Generate Peace and Meaning During the Pandemic

Three different people with the same love for plants! House plants have become quite popular these days especially since we’re all basically stuck inside during the pandemic. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but these beautiful green oxygen-makers provide more

Prop 22 represents political favoritism of money over workers’ rights

California’s passing of proposition 22 on Nov. 5 represents a frustrating history of workers’ rights being trampled by the overwhelming influence of greed in politics.  This proposition forces app-based workers to be classified as independent contractors, rather than employees. This

Remembering Evelyn Andrews 10 months after her passing

By Katelyn Dendas It has been 10 months since my friend, teammate and freshman year dorm mate, Evelyn Andrews, passed away. I don’t remember what the grief counselor said or what transpired after that Monday, but I do remember arriving

Protestors seek to defund HSUPD

Two local, activist organizations work together to stage a sit-in against Humboldt State’s police department.

Getting stuck on the Trump train

Writer Anthony Aragon details his experience of accidentally joining a pro-Trump car rally.

Justin Turner exposes the World Series to COVID-19

Justin Turner didn’t need to be the story in the wake of the Dodgers’ first World Series victory in 32 years. Instead here we are, wondering what sort of, if any, punishment Major League Baseball will decide to hand down

Four more years of fear

News Editor Carlos Holguin explains why he is worried about the next four years.

Dismal democracy

The Lumberjack editorial staff comments on America’s flawed electoral system As the world watches the United States 2020 election results, waiting for our pseudodemocratic process to churn out a new president, historically unprecedented voting methods misrepresents the reported Election Day

The Mario triple pack invokes a nostalgia attack

When I was a child, the first video game system I owned was a Nintendo 64. Among the games I played was Super Mario 64. I played it all the time and when I wasn’t playing it, I was lying

Women’s lacrosse drops their competitive season

Greta Roberts, president and player of Humboldt State University’s women’s lacrosse team, made the decision with her coach and teammates to cancel the upcoming spring season. The team decided that not being able to recruit in the fall would be

Dobby’s proposition opinions

Haven’t voted yet? Well, you’re running out of time. Here’s a quick rundown of California’s propositions on the ballot this year

Corporations buy out propositions

In a series of general and misleading advertisements, corporate backers of Propositions 22 and 23 show their grubby hands

CDOR continues virtually

The Campus and Community Dialogue On Race returns covering global justice for Black Lives.

Indigenous Food Sovereignty

Local food management practices of the Tolowa Dee-ni, Yurok and other indigenous peoples.

Humboldt State Admin attempts to discredit the Lumberjack

***A Lumberjack editorial represents both the majority opinion of the student newspaper’s editorial board, nine editors, as well as the overwhelming majority of Humboldt State University’s student body. Collectively, an editorial echos, embodies and advocates for community beliefs.*** Insensitive communications

Music of the Moment 6

21 Savage and Metro Boomin drop a classic with “Savage Mode II”

Spartans arrive at HSU despite campus concerns

***Editor’s note: SJSU football program was tested in congruence with Mountain West conference guidelines*** The Spartans have arrived and this time they’re not carrying spears or shields. Instead the San Jose State football team stepped onto the Humboldt State campus

Music of the Moment 5

After shooting Megan Thee Stallion, Tory Lanez cancels himself

Welcome to the Twilight Zone

Comparisons between episodes of the classic TV show The Twilight Zone and our own dismal reality

Music of the Moment 4

YoungBoy Never Broke Again dodges the sophomore slump with his new album “Top.”

Self-Care Cuts

Changing your hair to change your life

HSU Seaweed Farm sets sail

The first commercially-approved seaweed farm in California will be on the map.

Music of the Moment 3

For better or worse, Big Sean is likely gone for good.

More Layers, More Protection?

Humboldt State demands double masking on campus, does more layers equal more protection?

The Ethnic Studies Bill is a Blessing

Ethnic Studies will thankfully become mandatory for all California State University students – as it should be.

The Complex Interface of Humans and Wildfires

How fire suppression is a mixed bag in Humboldt County Every fire season, blankets of smoke roll over Humboldt County. Here on the coast, that’s as close to wildfires as some of us get. But our practice of fire suppression

Defund HSU’s Police Department

Incidents of racism from the former UPD Chief, past examples of excessive force from current officers and a shrinking university budget.

How Not To Be Bitten By A Kitten

Please prepare to be prey Congratulations, a baby feline has recently come into your life. If they’re anywhere from 2-18 months, they bite. They see you as prey. Because you are prey. You always have been. You always will be.

Graduating Into Uncharted Waters

HSU graduates attempt to navigate a world turned upside-down by COVID-19 In May, Humboldt State University graduated hundreds of students, as it does every year. Unlike past years, graduates didn’t get to shake hands with their respective dean and receive

HSU Cultural Center Budget Slashed

Associated Students leaves student body devastated after significant reductions in cultural center’s budget.

All aboard the plague ship

Unprecedented times are met with normalized behavior, HSU puts students and community members at higher risk after reopening campus and student housing.

Music of the Moment

The hip-hop community rallies behind the Black Lives Matter Movement

Inside the Immune System

How the body uses multiple levels of defense against foreign intruders

Catcalling Can’t Continue

Verbal harassment toward women is about control and the assertion of gender discrimination

Major League Marijuana

Why I don’t think marijuana is everything it’s cracked up to be in baseball

Pigs Compost on Campus

CCAT tries to reduce HSU’s food waste footprint through new pig program