Voice Of The Experienced (VOTE)

VOTE is dedicated to restoring the full human and civil rights of those most impacted by the criminal (in)justice system. Together we have the experiences, expertise and power to improve public safety in Louisiana and beyond without relying on mass incarceration.

VOTE is made up of a growing network of currently incarcerated people, formerly incarcerated people (FIP) and their loved ones. We are the people who know the trauma of incarceration firsthand. We also know that when people feel engaged, connected and supported, they thrive. For that reason, the first step we take in organizing to change the criminal (in)justice system is getting together and sharing our experiences. We then use our collective and personal voice to build power at the local, state and national levels.

Since people with convictions are able to achieve real rehabilitation and reentry when their full human and civic rights are restored, the specific rights we address are: employment rights, housing rights, medical rights, and voting rights.We believe those are the most crucial building blocks of life after incarceration, yet our daily organizing covers a wide variety of intersecting issues. We strategically develop formerly incarcerated leaders to be the champions of our reforms through community education, civic engagement, and policy advocacy. This is how we pave the path to truly ending mass incarceration.