While millions of Americans cast their votes on Election Day, one segment of the population will be left out. More than 6 million people have lost their voting rights because they committed a felony, and millions more can’t vote from prison. And it disproportionally affects people of color — in fact, 1 out of every 13 African Americans has lost their voting rights due to felony disenfranchisement.
Some states, however, such as Virginia and California, are trying to change that.
On this bonus episode of DecodeDC, host Jimmy Williams speaks with Terry Garrett, a former inmate who finally got her right to vote back after a roller-coaster legal fight between the Virginia governor and state supreme court.
Jimmy also speaks with our Scripps colleague Angela Hill about efforts in California to restore voting rights for some who are still incarcerated — and the pushback the state is facing.
