Every Vote Counts: ACLU-NC's Work to Restore Voting Rights to the Wrongfully Disenfranchised

Because felony disenfranchisement laws vary by state, many Californians who are eligible to vote do not know they are eligible or are denied access to the vote.

In 2006, The ACLU-NC Launched Every Vote Counts, a public education campaign to inform individuals with felony convictions about their right to vote.

As part of our Every Vote Counts Campaign, we have produced billboards and public service announcements, created public education materials and engaged in collaborative efforts with stakeholders throughout northern California. Specifically, the ACLU-NC has worked closely with probation departments, county registrars and community-based organizations to inform hundreds of thousands of individuals with felony convictions that they have the right to vote if they are off parole or on probation.

Learn more about the Every Vote Counts Campaign

Making Every Vote Count

Before the November 2008 election, the ACLU-NC released Making Every Vote Count: Reforming Felony Disenfranchisement Policies and Practices in California. Published in September 2008, this report documents the origins and impacts of laws that strip hundreds of thousands of Californians with felony convictions of their right to vote.

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Promote the Vote!

In October 2008, the ACLU-NC also released Promote the vote!, a toolkit to help other community members educate the public about voting rights in California.

Lawsuit Restores Voting Rights to Thousands

In California, individuals with felony convictions are only disenfranchised while in prison or on parole. This rule was clarified in the ACLU-NC's 2006 lawsuit League of Women Voters v. McPherson, which restored the voting rights of more than 145,000 Californians.

Learn more about LWV v. McPherson