Voting Rights in Bright Lights: NYCLU Brings Voter Enfranchisement Campaign to Times Square Video Billboard

Lending a civic-minded message to the bright lights of Times Square, the New York Civil Liberties Union today launched an advertisement on one of the plaza’s massive video billboards to remind New Yorkers with criminal records that they have the right to vote.

Paid for with individual contributions by NYCLU board members, the 15-second ad will air twice hourly through the Oct. 10 voter registration deadline on the CBS “Super Screen” at 42nd Street between and 7th and 8th avenues. It is part of a statewide multi-media campaign to help New Yorkers with criminal records reclaim their right to vote in time for November’s presidential election.

“Who says Times Square is all glitz and no substance?,” asked Donna Lieberman, NYCLU executive director. “Unfortunately, there is a mistaken belief that those with criminal records permanently lose their right to vote. As a result, thousands of New Yorkers are either unnecessarily forfeiting their rights or being unlawfully denied their right to vote. This video billboard helps hammer home a crucial message: People who have completed felony sentences or are serving probation can and should vote.”

In New York State, individuals who have been convicted of a felony cannot vote while incarcerated or on parole. The right to vote is restored once someone is released from prison or completes parole, though it is up to the voter to re-register with their county board of elections. No documentation or special forms are required to prove the completion of a sentence. Those sentenced to probation for a felony offense never lose the right to vote.

More than 100,000 people are convicted of felonies each year in New York State – in 2007 alone, a record 115,573 people were convicted of felony offenses. Nearly 62,300 of those who are convicted are currently on probation for felonies. An additional 12,100 people are released from parole each year.

A study conducted by the Sentencing Project shows that a majority of these people are under the mistaken belief that they are unable to vote, which means there are hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who incorrectly believe they are permanently disfranchised.

Many workers at county election boards are poorly informed about the voting rights of those with criminal records. A 2006 report by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law found that 38 percent of employees at New York’s county election boards indicated they didn’t know whether probationers could vote. A study conducted before the 2004 election revealed that more than half of New York’s county election boards unlawfully required formerly incarcerated individuals to present documentation of their criminal status before they could register to vote.

“Voting is a hallmark of democracy,” said Corinne Carey, NYCLU’s voting rights campaign coordinator. “When people are released from incarceration, they deserve a second chance to work, raise families and vote. Taxpaying citizens deserve a say in their government, and voting is an essential part of reassuming the duties of full citizenship. Restoring the right to vote strengthens our democracy.”

The NYCLU’s campaign, which began this month, also features bus advertisements in New York City, train advertisements in Buffalo and Western New York, radio announcements throughout the state, and a new web page – www.nyclu.org/vote – where visitors can access voting rights toolkits, posters and videos.