Center for Employment Opportunities Partners with Vote.org to Launch ‘Get Out the Vote’ Campaign Encouraging Justice-Impacted Peoples’ Participation in Upcoming Election

Mirroring Jim Crow Laws of the 19th & 20th Centuries, Ongoing Voting Restrictions for Justice-impacted People Are Critical Racial Justice and Democracy Issues

CEO Media Contact:
Claire Gross, Sr. Manager Public Relations
[email protected] | (646) 370-8292

New York, NY – September 17, 2024 – Today, the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), the nation’s largest reentry organization launches a ‘Get Out the Vote Campaign,’ in partnership with Vote.org, the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan voting registration and get-out-the-vote technology platform in America. The aim is to provide non-partisan education and resources that help the justice-impacted community register and vote while also highlighting the systematic voter exclusion policies that create arduous barriers or prevent people altogether from voting in some states.

CEO’s voter registration hub will include Vote.org’s easy-to-use technology resulting in a one-stop-shop for justice-impacted people eager to exercise their right to vote. Individuals will be able to

  • Check registration status and restoration eligibility,
  • Fill out voter registration forms,
  • Request an absentee ballot,
  • Evaluate ballots specific to their district by previewing the candidates and issues on their ballots before heading to the polls, and
  • Find their local polling site.

    The ballot preview feature is particularly powerful in countering voter intimidation and exclusion, as it equips voters with immediate and concise information about their ballots. This year, the tool is enhanced to provide descriptions of the offices up for election, helping voters understand the roles of each office and the impact of those roles on their communities. To further increase accessibility, the tool will be available in both English and Spanish, ensuring that more voters can engage confidently in the process.

    Through this initiative, CEO and Vote.org aim to empower individuals to reclaim their right to vote and their ability to influence the policies that impact their communities.

    Voting is the chance to have your experience, opinions, and beliefs counted,” said Christopher Watler, Executive Vice President at CEO. “Unfortunately the right to vote in our country has a long history of exclusion. Many states continue to deny justice-impacted people the right to vote which disproportionately impacts Black and poor communities. We are excited to partner with Vote.org to confront this issue head-on by providing access to tools and information that justice-impacted people need to register and vote.”

    “Every voter, regardless of background or identity, should be able to exercise their constitutional right to vote and help shape the future of their communities and our country,” said Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org. “Our democracy works better for everyone when it reflects the diversity of the electorate, which means we need to break down every barrier standing between voters and the ballot box. As the forces of voter suppression continue to try to silence American voters – and disproportionately voters of color – Vote.org is proud to partner with the Center for Employment Opportunities to ensure that justice-impacted people are equipped with the resources and tools they need to make their voices heard during this critical election year.”

    To raise awareness of the arbitrary disenfranchisement of justice-impacted individuals, the campaign will highlight real-world stories of CEO participants voting for the first time, as well as the challenges and barriers some have faced in being able to do so, after returning home.

    "For a long time, I felt like something was operating against me. It was easy to feel that I wasn't important, my voice didn't matter, or my experiences as a human being were overlooked,” said Prince, CEO New York City participant. "Today, being able to vote after being justice-impacted is a reminder that I can reclaim my place and shape my future and the people around me and not be worried about what happened in the past."

    "I served my time, and now, I work and pay taxes like everyone else, and I'm a productive member of society, so I should be allowed to vote,” said Jason, CEO Memphis participant.

    CEO’s podcast ‘Returning Strong’ will also be airing a special mini-series focused on disenfranchisement targeting justice-impacted people and feature first-hand interviews of their experiences. The aim is to inform and mobilize the justice-impacted community to cast their vote and take back the power to change the policies that have long adversely impacted them.

    Voter disenfranchisement targeting justice-impacted individuals is a relic of racist, exclusionary policies. An estimated 4.4 million justice-impacted people in the U.S. are inhumanely barred from voting (The Sentencing Project; 2022), a policy rooted in Jim Crow laws that sought to evade the 15th Amendment affording equal voting rights for all races. Compounded by mass incarceration in the U.S. fueled by systemic racism imbued in the criminal legal system, Black Americans are disenfranchised for felony conviction histories at rates more than four times those of all other races combined (Vera Institute for Justice; 2020).

    More information and personal stories can be found at ceoworks.org/vote.

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    About the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
    The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services exclusively to people recently released from incarceration. CEO currently operates in 30 cities in 12 states and is dedicated to ensuring that justice-impacted people have opportunities and careers to achieve socioeconomic mobility. For more information, please visit: ceoworks.org.

    About Vote.org
    Vote.org is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit using technology to simplify political engagement and increase turnout among young people and voters of color. It is the largest 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan voting registration and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) technology platform in America. Through corporate and nonprofit partnerships, a large-scale community of grassroots donors, diverse coalition building and influencer-driven outreach, Vote.org leverages innovative solutions that meet underserved voters where they engage and get their information, and has established its brand as the most trusted and accessible online resource for registering to vote and understanding how to cast a ballot.