NAACP: Stop Voter Suppression In Alabama

NAACP Press Release/Action Alert

One of the most important roles the NAACP plays is to safeguard the right to vote from those who would use their power to suppress it, especially in communities of color. That is why the work we are doing in Alabama right now is so critical.

Under Alabama state law those who have been convicted of a crime of "moral turpitude" are not eligible to vote, but the Governor's office and the Attorney General have a vastly different definition of that term. According to the Governor, over 400 crimes fall into that category, including possession of a controlled substance, trespassing and conducting business without a license. The Attorney General says the list is closer to 70 felonies that constitute only serious offenses, and recently the Secretary of State agreed.

That means anywhere from 40,000-50,000 people in jails, work release and community corrections are eligible to vote and don't know it yet.

We've already identified over 10,000 newly eligible voters and with your help we can get the word out to thousands more. But we need to act fast. The voter registration deadline in Alabama is 5pm on October 24th - this Friday. The absentee ballot deadline is October 30th, so we have additional time to get absentee ballots into the hands of people who will not be able to go to the polls on Election Day.

Please take a minute to donate to support this and other critically important NAACP Voter Empowerment projects across the country.

The NAACP has been on the ground in Alabama working with the State Conference, our 18 Branches, the State Chair of the Prison Project, Reverend Kenneth Glasgow, and other volunteers and staff. We are visiting jails with registration and absentee ballot materials, taking to the streets, and coordinating other groups and volunteers to help.

This is an incredible opportunity to restore the rights of tens of thousands of voters. I hope that you will donate now to support this vital work.

Sincerely,

Benjamin T. Jealous
President & CEO

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