Voice of the experienced

Voice of the Experienced, or VOTE of New Orleans, Louisiana is a grassroots organization comprised of previously incarcerated individuals, those who have been convicted of a felony, and their support systems, which seeks to represent the people impacted by the criminal justice system in the United States, and more specifically Louisiana.

Founded in 2003 by recently released individuals from Louisiana State Penitentiary, VOTE started as an organization that concentrated on voter registration focusing on individuals detained pre-trial along with those who received convictions of misdemeanors in Louisiana. Through monthly meetings with Norris Henderson, the founder of VOTE and a man whose wrongful conviction led him to spend 27 years, 10 months, and 18 days in prison, individuals come together to form a community that advocates for Louisiana prison reform and supports newly released members with their reentry processes. 

VOTE emphasizes the importance of educating oneself about the Louisiana prison system by promoting engagement with the system in an effort to ignite change within the prisons. One of VOTE’s central platforms is to aid previously-incarcerated individuals in their efforts to regain voting rights. Many convicted felons have lost their democratic right to participate in the election process in the United States, and this is something that Henderson and VOTE desperately want to change. In Louisiana, an individual convicted of a felony is unable to vote while incarcerated, on parole, or on probation. VOTE has become invested in policy reform and litigation dealing with equal voting rights for all, parole reform, ending discrimination, and supportive reentry programs in hopes of reversing the effects of previous harmful laws.

Norris Henderson, the founder of VOTE.

Following a monthly VOTE meeting, Norris responded to a few questions regarding the purpose of his organization.  He stated “the greatest challenge is getting folks to understand the collective power that we have.” In his opinion, “the biggest thing is to just come get involved” and that VOTE offers “a hub where people can share information to help people.” Most importantly, he stressed the concept of having a place where anyone can feel welcome and that “its one thing to be a part of something, and it’s another thing to belong in it.”

VOTE does work with litigation and policy reform as well. In the recent case VOTE v. Louisiana, VOTE challenged the law that barred individuals under community supervision from voting. In March, Judge Timothy Kelly ruled against VOTE’s motion for summary judgement. VOTE will appeal this ruling to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Kelly expressed personal displeasure in his own ruling; however, he felt that the framers’ intent in the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 in Article 1 Section 10  with the language “under the order of imprisonment” included community supervision. This clause keeps 70,000 Louisianans disenfranchised.

VOTE is also currently raising money to assist in the case of the death of Lamar Johnson, who was pulled over for a routine traffic stop in 2015 and died 5 days later after being detained in reportedly inhumane conditions in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. The lack of oversight in his detainment and the neglect that he endured drove him to suicide when he was placed in isolation. Individuals who wish to donate to help Johnson’s family’s case can do so here.

Furthermore, VOTE does policy reform. VOTE is one of many organizations that is part of a coalition entitled Louisianans for Prison Alternatives. This coalition is a justice reinvestment task force. VOTE also works with rehabilitation and reentry. VOTE is assisting in “ban the box” initiatives, building a reentry house with no governmental support, and is creating a reentry health clinic in partnership with Tulane Medical school, among other projects. VOTE’s expansive work with reentry aids many people across the state of Louisiana.

Even though VOTE primarily focuses on previously incarcerated individuals and their families, anyone can become an active member. As a grassroots organization, VOTE cannot be successful without community involvement. There are three ways to become an official member of the organization through the positions of Basic Membership, Justice Warrior Membership, and Member and Supporter. Each level of membership requires a small donation fee of either 25, 75 or 100 dollars, depending on the level of membership. As a VOTE basic member you receive the monthly newsletter and are invited to meetings on the first Wednesday of every month. As a member and supporter you receive the same opportunities as the basic membership and an additional invitation to all special events. The highest level of membership, Justice Warrior Membership, adds an additional invitation to exclusive events along with the benefits offered at all other levels. Even if you are not a member, VOTE encourages individuals to be involved in criminal justice reform, whatever way possible.

VOTE frequently updates a public monthly calendar available on their website including a multitude of meetings and events. VOTE is involved with a variety of outside organizations, such as the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition, which holds biweekly meetings, on Mondays.  VOTE also holds peer support groups twice each month. If you are interested in attending any VOTE event, you can access the public calendar here.

Image Citations:

http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/opinion/james_gill/article_28b55f78-456c-11e7-bc4d-dfa810383984.html

http://www.vote-nola.org/

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Norris+Henderson/Coalition+Deliver+Over+100+000+Signatures/6AVTPQKuPUa