Behind Prison Walls, a Push for the Right to Vote

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From inside Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Sullivan County, Atiq Weston is pushing for a change to who gets a voice in American democracy.

Weston, who has been incarcerated for more than 17 years, has drafted what he calls the “Incarcerated American Vote Act,” a federal proposal that would allow most incarcerated people to vote. The plan would restrict voting only for people convicted of specific offenses such as treason, terrorism, or espionage.

“Voting is not just a civic duty,” Weston said. “It is a constitutional and human right.”

Across the United States, more than two million people are incarcerated, and in most states, those serving felony sentences cannot vote. Weston argues that broad restrictions leave a large portion of the population without representation.

“How can we say everyone is fairly considered,” he said, “when millions are excluded from the process?”

His proposal would allow incarcerated individuals to vote in elections tied to their last known residence and require prisons to provide access to voter registration and absentee ballots.

Weston also points to legal precedent, including a 1974 Supreme Court decision that protected the voting rights of pretrial detainees, to argue that incarceration should not automatically strip constitutional protections.

At the center of his argument is a broader question about the purpose of incarceration.

In his written proposal, Weston says prison walls are meant to separate people from society, not from their constitutional rights.

For Weston, the issue is personal. Now 33, he says he has spent more than half his life incarcerated and has never voted.

“I’ve developed an interest in participating in our democracy,” he said. “But I’ve never had the chance.”

The debate over voting rights for incarcerated people continues nationwide, with supporters framing it as a civil rights issue and critics arguing that certain convictions justify the loss of that right.

Weston is serving time for a 2008 homicide and two 2012 armed robberies. Court records show he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the stabbing death of Robert Kwiatkowski at age 15, and received concurrent sentences of up to 10 years for manslaughter and 15 years for each robbery.

Weston says his goal is simple: inclusion.

“If we believe in democracy,” he said, “then everyone should have a voice.”

Image Credit: by Tara Winstead from Pexels