FORMER OFFENDERS, TAKE NOTE: YOU MAY BE ABLE TO VOTE AFTER ALL

During the last several weeks, working to register voters in Alaska, I
have been struck by the number of folks who say they can't vote
because they have some type of criminal record, here or in their
pre-Alaska lives.

Most of these people pretty obviously committed some youthful
indiscretion and have long since paid for their offense, yet they do
not know that their right to vote has been restored!

It used to be the case that ex-offenders had to petition a court to be
able to vote. Now, if they have completed all of their payments,
probation or parole requirements, etc., and been discharged from the
criminal justice system, all they have to do is register.

In the coming general election, Ballot Measure 2, which will regulate
and control marijuana in Alaska and make it a legal choice for adults,
ought to provide an incentive for people who have committed marijuana
crimes to reclaim their precious voting right.

They have just until this coming Sunday to do so.

Mariann Garner-Wizard

Anchorage