[BwayDems] You can help End Felony Disenfranchisement in New York: Support passage of S830 in the NYS Assembly

[Luis Roman]

 Dear Broadway Democrats,

A bill (S830) is about to be voted on in the NYS Assembly and, if passed,
will restore the right to vote to people convicted of a felony and
currently on parole.  New Yorkers reintegrating into society must be able
to participate in our democracy.  The bill already passed in the state
Senate.  If it passes in the Assembly, it will go to Gov. Cuomo to be
signed and become law.

*Use your voice for Racial Justice and support S830.  Call your Assembly
member and ask what their position is on S830.  Thank them if they support
S830.  Ask them to vote Yes on S830 if they are undecided. Please do it
TODAY as S830 can be voted any time now.  Please share this email with 3
friends outside of the city to amplify your action.*

“Frantz Michel, 50, of Brooklyn spent 15 years in prison when he wasn’t
able to vote. He said he came to realize how broken the criminal justice
system is during his incarceration when he saw that nearly everyone was
Black or brown, including him. “Once you get to start to understand that,
the only way that that could be repaired is if you exercise your right to
vote,” Michel said. “You exercise your right to try to make a difference
and try to make a change.”

“The law that prevents people on parole from voting has roots in the Jim
Crow era, when the state approved a constitutional amendment requiring that
the state Legislature pass laws to prevent people with criminal convictions
from voting. This happened in 1874, and according to a 2010 report from the
Brennan Center for Justice, little has changed in the state since that
amendment”  (read more: City & State New York 1/26/2021
<https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/policy/criminal-justice/state-legislature-may-restore-voting-rights-parolees.html>
)

If you live in the club’s area, our Assembly member Danny O’Donnell is the
*main sponsor* of this bill.  Please call and thank him for his efforts
over many years to end felony disenfranchisement in our state.  If you
don’t know who your Assembly member is, you can look it up here
<https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/>.

To find the Albany and District phone numbers, click on *Visit
Assemblymember’s Page* and then click on *Contact*.  When you call, you
will most likely speak to a junior staff member.  All calls are logged in
as in favor or against bills being considered.
*Our calls can make the difference with legislators still on the fence.*

Let us know if you have any questions and thank you for being an engaged
citizen!

Broadway Democrats' Racial Justice Action Committee
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