For the first time, over 55,000 North Carolinians with prior felony convictions will be able to cast a vote, regardless of parole or probation status. That’s because in 2019, Forward Justice, a non-partisan organization dedicated to advancing racial, social and economic justice in the South helped file a lawsuit over a North Carolina law that tied the restoration of voting rights to the completion of parole, probation or other supervisory sentences, and the payment of all court fees.
Daryl Atkinson, the Co-Director of Forward Justice and the lead attorney on the case, and Jarvis Johnson, a Campaign Data and Field Manager for Forward Justice, spoke to the PBS NewsHour about the legal fight, the initial law’s intentions and the push to register voters ahead of the upcoming 2022 midterm elections.
Photo courtesy of Forward Justice
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