Election years are always a time of reflection and action.
As the CEO of an organization committed to second-chance employment opportunities, I am frequently asked what message I would convey to Arizona policymakers or anyone advocating for voter restoration.
My response is deeply personal and rooted in nearly three decades of experience working with incarcerated women. I have witnessed these individuals learn, grow, heal, rebuild their lives and reenter society as consummate caregivers, community leaders and businesswomen.
They become productive citizens in every sense of the word. Yet, our government often complicates restoring their voting rights and, in many cases, outright denies them this fundamental right.
The women share with me that this denial is like a relentless echo of being viewed as “less than” by society — a blatant dismissal of all the strides they’ve made.
In Arizona, people on probation, in prison or on parole are not allowed to vote. First-time offenders can have their voting rights automatically restored once they finish their sentence, as long as they have no outstanding financial obligations to the state.