“Voting Guide for the Disenfranchised” Released by ACLU-LA; 

All Persons Encouraged to Know Their Rights and Vote

For immediate release October 13, 2004                                            

NEW ORLEANS – The ACLU Foundation of Louisiana today formally released its Voting Guide for the Disenfranchised.  The Guide advises the arrested/incarcerated, disabled, homeless and students of their voting rights under Louisiana law. Additionally, it addresses issues of appropriate address, registration deadlines, identification requirements, registration verification, poll booth hours and provisional voting.  Telephone numbers and contact information for Registrar of Voters offices across the state are listed.

“Our constitutional democracy rests on certain core principles,” says ACLU of Louisiana Executive Director Joe Cook.  “Every eligible person has a right to vote and have it fairly counted.  This guide empowers folks to hold the government accountable and make it of, by and for all of the people.”

Students often fail to vote because they are out of state or away from their permanent residence at the time of the election.  Complicated absentee voting procedures and excessively premature deadlines further discourage young people from voting.  Similarly, laws on voting for persons with disability and homeless persons dissuade people from exercising their right to vote. Uncertainty about verification of disability, address requirements or proof of identification effectively disenfranchises many homeless or disabled persons.

According to one source, of the 200 million Americans that are eligible to vote, four million have lost that right either permanently or temporarily due to felony convictions.  On that score, almost 1% of Louisiana’s population is disenfranchised (26,800 citizens). Of only vote-eligible black males in this state, nearly 5% are disenfranchised.[1]  Lack of information and efforts to facilitate voter participation by eligible incarcerated persons creates a racially disparate obstacle to the polls.  That harkens back to the days when Jim Crow laws effectively kept black citizens out of the voting booth.  While Louisiana should be applauded for immediately restoring voting rights upon completion of sentence, there is too little being done, especially by state officials, to inform ex-offenders of their right to vote and assist with the onerous process to restore voting rights.

The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office cited voter turnout for the September 18 primary election at 28.65% of the eligible voter population. [2]  The ACLU is releasing its Voting Guide for the Disenfranchised to promote constitutionally guaranteed fairness and the highest levels of participation on November 2 and beyond. 

See the complete Voting Guide for the Disfranchised at http://www.laaclu.org/VotingGuide.pdf