From 1867 to 1868, Radical Republicans and their black allies at the national level secured a number of protections for freed people, including federal requirements for enfranchising black men. These political victories for African Americans spurred the development of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The current voting restrictions today parallel that of the 1870’s.
Almost one-third of the adult population lives with a criminal record or a conviction. They carry a felony on their permanent record, and in US States, that record is a stain. Many live with the criminal record’s consequences for the rest of their lives. Some cannot vote or run for state or a local elected office. To combat that, we have an initiative entitled: “The Ballot or the Bars”. The initiative ensures the right to vote to past and present incarcerated people, as well as the Natives.
The Supreme Court has “long recognized that a person’s right to vote is ‘individual and personal in nature.” Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 561 (1964). As a formerly incarcerated individual, Williams is on a mission to make sure every vote counts in this 2024 election. Williams and his A-Team are on a mission to ensure every Native, current and formerly incarcerated individual, including those in county jails have access to and receive a Federal-Write In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) and vote this 2024 Federal el