Locations
Washington, DC, USA
Free Our Vote is an evidence-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization that advocates for a more transparent, less capricious voting system for returning citizens. Free Our Vote began in 2020 in response to the opacity and downstream consequences faced by voters with felony convictions in Florida. Though a state amendment legally re-enfranchised returning citizens who completed the terms of their sentence, administrative disarray prevented many from doing so. Ultimately, partisan actors pushed through “clarifying” language that mandated these returning citizens repay any outstanding criminal court debt before they could vote. In 2020, Free Our Vote notified tens of thousands of debt-free, otherwise eligible returning citizens in Florida that they were free to vote. Via targeted fundraising, it also repaid criminal court debt for 1,000+ Floridians, thereby restoring their voting rights. Free Our Vote’s non-partisan efforts assisted those of all political stripes. Free Our Vote continues to operate in Florida; is presently expanding to Iowa and Washington; and has collected significant data in three other states: Arizona, Georgia, and Virginia, where returning citizens face similar informational challenges or debt burdens. Free Our Vote intends to scale up its already successful model to assist millions more returning citizens by 2024, across at least fifteen states.
Something looks off?