WATTS, Calif. — Life for Ingrid Archie got a rough start, as she spent 20 years in and out of the criminal justice system.
"It was drugs around," she said. "It was a lot of violence in my community and, you know, a lot of times when you are in that community, you succumb to a lot of things."
What You Need To Know
- Prop. 17 would restore voting rights for those on parole
- Prop. 25 would replace the cash bail system with algorithms to determine flight risk
- A New Way of Life Reentry Project provides formerly incarcerated individuals with housing, leadership skills, legal assistance and advocacy
- Individuals who have been impacted by the criminal justice system in a number of ways can still vote in this election
Archie found her second chance at getting her life back on track with the help of A New Way of Life Reentry Project, which helps formerly incarcerated individuals with housing, leadership skills, legal assistance, and more.
After everything she went through, Archie began to look at voting differently.
“In poor communities, voting is not something that you talk about because it’s not looked at as something that is important," she said. "When I started to learn more about having a voice and being able to use it, and the fact that a lot of the things are on the ballot affect our communities, that’s when I started to understand that our vote does matter."
That’s why Archie spends time canvassing the streets of Watts to get out the vote. According to a recent survey, about 1 in 5 Californians have a criminal conviction on their record. Archie shared that many individuals in the area have been impacted by the criminal justice system. With ballot initiatives like Prop. 17 that would restore voting rights for individuals on parole, and Prop. 25 that would end cash bail, she’s determined to make sure her community sends in their vote.
According to the L.A. Free The Vote campaign, individuals can still vote even if they are:
- On probation
- Out on bail
- In jail awaiting trial or sentencing
- In jail on an ab 109 felony
- In jail for any misdemeanor
Susan Burton is the founder of A New of Life Reentry Project. She believes it’s important for anyone able to vote to do so.
“If voting wasn’t important, people wouldn’t have taken it from us," she said. "So, it’s important that we go vote. It’s important that we restore the right to vote for other individuals."
For Archie, canvassing in her community is a chance to remind others that they can make a difference.
“If we vote more, that means we want to see more change, and people will begin to take our communities more seriously."
That’s why Archie is doing everything she can to encourage voters in her community to make their voices heard.