Voting Rights are Human Rights

Kudos to the ACLU for filing suit on behalf of Annette McWashington Pruitt, an Alabama woman who can't register to vote because of outstanding court expenses.

Alabama state law allows a person convicted of a crime involving "moral turpitude" to apply for voting rights restoration from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, but the applicant must have paid all fines, court fees, costs, and restitution associated with his or her sentence before becoming eligible to vote. Voting rights defenders say denying the right to vote based on one's inability to pay these fees amounts to income-based discrimination.

Pruitt has two sons serving in the US military. But she can't vote in an election that will certainly affect their future. It's not because she committed a crime, but because she couldn't afford to pay to have her rights restored.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, are working to make sure the right now vote is protected for all Americans. Just last week, Amnesty International USA helped register hundreds of voters. When you get down to it, voting rights are human rights.

Or as Amnesty International USA director Larry Cox put it, "There is no better time to rock the vote for human rights than now."

For more info and to register to vote visit www.rockthevote.com

posted by Julia at 9:20 AM