Oregonians with felonies — you can vote! (and why you should)
BY DENISE WELCH
C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T
T-L
Denise Welch is the
communications and
development associate
at Partnership for
Safety and Justice.
P S J is a statewide,
non-profit advocacy
organization
dedicated to making
Oregon’s approach to
crime and public
safety more effective
and just.
ere has been a lot of national news
coverage lately about attempts to
ci
change voting laws in a-number of
states. Many of the laws
seem to be designed to
keep certain categories
of people away from the
polls: the elderly, the
poor, minorities.
One barrier to voting
that has existed across
the country since the
founding of our Republic
is limiting or outright denying — sometimes
forever — the right to vote of people who
have felony convictions. In fact, the first
disenfranchisement laws in America
appeared in the 1600s, typically as
punishment for morality crimes such as
drunkenness.
Oregon is one of only 13 states (along
with the District of Columbia), however,
that automatically restores voting rights to
persons with felony convictions when they
are released from prison. Let me repeat
that: In Oregon, voting rights are
automatically restored when a person with a
felony conviction is released from prison
(and they can vote for federal as well as
state candidates and issues, despite an
abundance of misinformation people may
have heard). It does not matter whether a
person is on probation or parole; he or she
can still vote in Oregon.
This isn’t the case for much of the
country. Today, there are more than 5
million Americans denied the right to vote
because of various state laws that prohibit
voting by people with felony convictions.
And more than 2 million of them are
formerly incarcerated people who have
completed their sentences. It is particularly
disturbing that because of racial disparities
in the criminal justice system, it is
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estimated that about 13 percent of black
men are unable to vote.
Why voting is important
PSJ knows the importance of every single
vote and how close some elections have
been. Did you know that George W. Bush
became the 43rd president of the United
States when he won the state of Florida by
537 votes in the 2000 election? In 2004,
now-Secretary of State Kate Brown won her
state senate seat by only 40 votes.
When the United States Constitution was
written, only white male property owners
over the age of 21 (about 10-16 percent of
the nation’s population) could vote.
Amendments to the Constitution in
subsequent years expanded the right to
most adults over 18 years of age.
As long as our country has existed, there
have been people who didn’t want everyone
to have the vote. There were many freedom
fighters who stood up for voting rights for
all, often risking their lives to do so. Those
times may seem ancient, but there are still
groups actively trying to prevent certain
people today from exercising their right to
vote. It’s our duty to stand up and vote to
preserve the honor of those who went
before us.
We think one of the most critical ways
individuals can influence governmental
decision-making is through voting, and we’re
big fans. This is an important election year.
Not only will voters be deciding who will be
president for the next four years; half of
Oregon’s Senate seats and all of the seats in
the House are up for election this
November. The outcome this fall could have
a significant impact on how some critically
important criminal justice reform issues are
handled.
Your vote is your voice. When we vote, we
are actually telling elected officials and
lawmakers how we feel about education,
public safety, social security, health care and
other important issues. There is power in
numbers, and when we vote and get our
family members to vote, we can truly make
a difference. If you don’t vote for what you
believe in, others will — and you may not
like the outcome. It was through elections
that we voted in officials who were
champions for civil rights. Voting is our
chance to make a difference in our own lives
and within the world.
How to register
Oregon is a “vote-by-mail state.” And you
can register by mail or online, too. Forms
are located in most banks and public
buildings, in every county election’s office
and in many state agencies. The website is
oregonvotes.org.
Since January 2006, Oregon law requires
that people must provide identifying
information to register to vote (although our
voter ID laws are much less restrictive than
those currently undergoing court
challenges). A person registering to vote is
asked to provide identification only if they
are a new registrant in the state.
Identification is not required for updates.
Individuals must provide a current, valid
Oregon Driver’s License or ID card. If you
have neither of these, the last four digits of
yours Social Security number must be
provided. If you have none of these, you
must affirm this and, when registering by
mail, provide a copy of one of the following:
• Valid photo identification
• Paycheck stub
• Utility bill
• Bank statement
• Government document, or
• Proof of eligibility under the Uniformed
and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act
or the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly
and Handicapped Act.
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