The effort to restore voting rights in New York is gaining momentum. Today, over 100 New Yorkers sent postcards to their legislators and Governor Paterson urging them to restore the right to vote to people in New York who are on parole and probation.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell took a second giant step back in time this week, bringing back restrictions reminiscent of the Jim Crow era. The Governor plans to require everyone seeking to have their voting rights restored following a non-violent conviction to write an essay outlining their contributions to society and the "reasons why you believe the restoration of your civil rights is justified."

Today Congress is listening to 4 million silenced Americans. Leaders of the House Judiciary Committee are holding a hearing on the Democracy Restoration Act, legislation that seeks to restore the right to vote to people with a criminal records who are out of prison, living in the community. This bill would eliminate the last blanket barrier to the franchise, and reverse decade of discrimination create by laws firmly rooted in our country’s Jim Crow history.

Many people don’t realize that Jim Crow laws existed in the North, perhaps most notably in New York, and some continue to this day. Read more...and Join us on Tuesday, March 2, at 6:30 p.m. for a public conversation about our new study, Jim Crow in New York.