The Value of the Vote
When Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, slavery in America finally died.
Two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Granger delivered the news out west that the Civil War was over and the enslaved were free. The date June 19, or “Juneteenth,” is now celebrated in 200 cities around the country.
Today, Juneteenth remains an important cultural celebration for the African-American community. This year, Jeanie Blue, the organizer of St. Petersburg’s Juneteenth celebration, wants the holiday to also serve as a reminder that “many African Americans, especially in Florida, don’t have even the most basic civil right,” she said, “the right to vote.”
Blue is referring to criminal disenfranchisement laws. Many states disenfranchise, or deny civil rights, to citizens convicted of felonies. Degrees of disenfranchisement vary from state to state. Most states, 48 in all, bar prisoners from voting while in prison. Upon release from prison, individuals are then required to apply for restoration of their rights. In fewer states, including Florida, ex-felons can be permanently denied voting rights, even after a prison sentence is completed.
“Part of [Florida’s] punishment for committing serious crimes is the loss of civil rights,” said state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey. “You have to show society that you are worthy of getting your rights back,” Fasano said.
Across the United States, 3.9 million adults permanently lose rights as a result of a felony conviction. More than 600,000 people do not have the right to vote in Florida alone.
The debate in Florida, and several other Southern states, extends beyond basic voting rights. The Sentencing Project, a non-profit organization specializing in issues of criminal justice, suggests that state disenfranchisement laws have often had a disproportionate racial impact. In Florida, 31 percent of all black men are permanently disenfranchised, according to the Sentencing Project. Nationally, 13 percent of black men -- approximately 1.4 million -- do not have the right to vote.
“It is ironic,” said Marc Mauer, assistant director of The Sentencing Project, “that 50 years after the civil rights movement more African Americans are losing their rights every day.”
Mauer sites Florida and Alabama as the two states with the highest percentage of disenfranchised black voters.
Last week, both chambers of the Alabama legislature passed a measure that would restore voting rights to most non-violent ex-felons in the state. However, sources say that Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has threatened not to sign the bill.
According to Mauer, all levels of Florida government have been “resistant to change” on the issue of restoring civil rights to felons.According to Fasano, who has been a member of the state legislature since 1994, there have been several bills proposed in that time that “aim to make the restoration process easier and quicker,” he said. “My colleagues and my constituents seem to agree that Florida is not ready to change our process.”
The high number of disenfranchised voters in Florida can be linked to the lengthy application process required for rights to be restored. According to Keith Philips of the state clemency board, it currently takes about 18 months for a restoration of rights verdict to be reached. Philips notes that the process can often take several years if the governor requests a thorough investigation or hearing.
There are currently more than 7,000 applications awaiting decisions in Florida.
Vito Wright, 30, a St. Petersburg resident, has been waiting for more than a year to receive a verdict on his application. Wright was released from prison in early 2002 after serving six years for two counts of possession of a firearm. Wright completed both his prison sentence and parole requirements. “My parole officer and I submitted everything I needed to,” Wright said, “I haven’t got word back at all.”
“I know people who don’t have their rights restored yet,” said Jeanie Blue, “and they served their time in the ’70s.”
Blue believes that the African-American community suffers psychological hardships because of these voting restrictions, which she believes reflect “historic discrimination.”
Blue is in the midst of a mass application effort. “We’re hoping to draw more attention to the issue,” she said. Blue will be the host of a workshop July 26 for individuals applying for the restoration of their civil rights.
“People just give up because it is so hard to get rights back,” she said. “There is a sense of hopelessness when people can’t have an impact on development or education or in choosing their representatives,” she said. “Most of all, it limits the ability for people to control their destiny.”
Fasano disagrees. “People know that when you commit a crime in Florida, the loss of your civil rights is a consequence,” he said. “Everything given to us in this great country is based on rights and privileges.”
Fasano acknowledges that the process for reinstating rights is “long, detailed and tedious,” but says “it is a good process.”
Wright, however, believes that the process is inadequate. “It’s hard to be without your constitutional rights,” he said.
Anderson believes that the African-American community is taking notice of the problem and is working toward a solution. “There is a resurgence of young voters in the African-American community,” Anderson said. She credits local colleges and junior colleges for “getting the word out,” about voting.
Anderson emphasizes the importance of passing on a tradition of responsibility within the African-American community, a continual theme of Juneteenth celebrations. On her 18th birthday Anderson’s grandfather took her to get her voter registration card and a bank account; she continued the tradition with her own children. “I think they realize how important it is to vote,” she said. “Our children should know that they truly are the future of the culture. We need to hear their voices.”
Blue hopes that in the near future, African Americans in Florida will have new reasons to celebrate Juneteenth. “Once our freedom was won, the possibility of full-fledged citizenship became real,” she said. “I still want to see that freedom fully realized.”
