Raymond Powell, a Gary native who now lives in Indianapolis, was unsure of his voting status after his release from prison. So when he visited the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to update his address, he was surprised by a simple question from the clerk: “Are you a registered voter?”

“They asked if I was a registered voter and I said no,” Powell recalled. “Then they asked me if I wanted to register? I told them yes, they asked me a few questions, gave me a voter registration card and I was registered to vote.”

Powell is one of millions of Americans who have been incarcerated and left unsure of their voting rights. Fortunately for Powell and other Hoosiers, Indiana allows residents to register to vote as soon as they are released from prison. But in many states, ex-prisoners, parolees and even those with criminal records from years past remain barred from voting. The impact of these restrictions is felt disproportionately in black and Latino communities, adding another layer to racial inequities in the justice system.

In a high-stakes election year, advocates are rallying around federal voting protections that could restore rights to millions of disenfranchised Americans, a move they say is critical to addressing persistent disparities in political participation. These restrictions disproportionately affects minority groups, with advocacy groups warning that the stakes could not be higher to pass federal protections.

Powell, now a pre-release manager at Public Advocates in Community Re-Entry (PACE) in Indianapolis, helps recently released citizens navigate their return to society. This election cycle, he joined forces with the American Civil Liberties Union on the “Yes, You Can Vote” campaign to inform formerly incarcerated Hoosiers about their restored voting rights.

“As long as you’re not in jail for a conviction, you can vote,” said Laura Forbes of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana.

“I know a lot of people are really surprised to hear that, which makes sense because there are so many states that look after people even after they get out of prison.”

There are 25 to be exact.

Currently, 10 states prohibit citizens convicted of felonies from voting, even after serving their sentences. Another 15 states restrict voting rights for people on parole or parole.

The Freedom to Vote Act, introduced in 2021, would ensure that every citizen has the right to vote by restoring the right to vote in federal elections to people who have served their felony convictions and are no longer incarcerated. The bill also provides for automatic voter registration and for Election Day to be a public holiday. But it’s not over yet.

Greta Bedekovics, associate director of democracy policy at the Center for American Progress and author of last month’s report, “Pass the Freedom to Vote Act: How Elections Would Look Different This Year and in the Future,” described the Freedom to Vote Act as “monumental legislation.”

“There are 3.3 million Americans who would be affected by the Freedom to Vote Act who are currently unable to vote. This would include people on parole, parole and people who have completed their sentence,” she said. “That’s a big part of the American electorate, especially states with tough disenfranchisement laws like Alabama.”

In Alabama, for example, a Center for American Progress report found that approximately 292,000 Alabamians could have regained their voting rights and become eligible to vote in the 2024 general election, including 129,000 black Alabamians and 3,000 Hispanic/Latino Alabamians. According to NAACP Criminal Justice information sheetblack Americans are incarcerated at five times the rate of their white counterparts.

According to Bedekovics, a Freedom to Vote Act could lead to 8 million more registered voters nationwide, with 3.8 million expected to vote. The measure would register 1.2 million more black voters, resulting in about 600,000 more black Americans at the polls. In Indiana in particular, Bedekovics found that 50,000 more black voters would be registered if automatic voter registration were adopted.

“That’s 10 percent of the state’s black population (as of the 2022 census), which is very significant. And we think 24,000 would probably vote,” she said.

For her part, Powell plans to continue her work spreading voting awareness and helping formerly incarcerated people in Indianapolis and Gary. He co-founded the nonprofit Center for Community Change, which has two reentry homes in Gary’s Glen Park neighborhood.

Through a fundraiser and a match from NIPSCO, Powell says they’ve started a food truck that will allow them to hire people who are just returning home.

“Ultimately, our goal is to turn it into a restaurant where it will be run by people coming home from prison,” Powell said.

“They will get some jobs and we can also tie people out of housing. We really need Mayor Eddie (Melton) to get more involved in this. I would love to sit with him and have a conversation.”

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