No Taxation Without Representation Campaign
Sign the Petition!
We are resolved to change the Georgia law that prohibits citizens who are on parole or probation from exercising their right to vote. We believe that as long as a person is a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen, they must have access to the institutions that govern their life. This is the fundamental basis for all American laws and values, and to disregard it is to disregard our noble democracy.
Join us in taking a huge step in eradicating this state sponsored second class citizenship by calling upon our Georgia state legislature to bring back dignity to hundreds of thousands of Georgia citizens and fully restore their right to vote.
Over 250,000 law-abiding Georgia citizens are denied the right to vote.
Representation in exchange for taxation was one of the founding principles of the United States of America. It embodies our national resistance to tyranny. Yet in 2020, centuries after the U.S. gained freedom, justice, and democracy, Georgia has more people on parole and probation than any other state, and remains one of 30 states that does not restore voting rights upon release from prison. Such denial subverts the dignity of the American democratic experience.
The power of the vote is the power of self-determination. It’s the ability to have a say so in deciding what we believe to be best for ourselves, our families and our communities. To deny access to government and the distribution of power that exercises authority over us, while at the same time imposing scores of taxes upon us, is fundamentally unAmerican and needs to be corrected immediately. None of us want to be defined by the mistakes we made in the past, particularly when we’ve learned from those mistakes, grown, and are now actively better because of it.
Join the Movement!
We want to hear directly from you about why Georgia needs to allow all of its citizens to register to vote and participate in all elections after they have completed their incarceration.
Below are some suggestions about what to share:
- How has being on parole or probation impacted your ability to engage with the community?
- How has the parole/probation of a family member impacted you or them?
- Has it been a barrier to participate in local and national politics?
- How long is your parole/probation?
How many elections have you been excluded from? - Prior to your incarceration, have you been able to vote? If so, what did that experience mean to you?
- If you are no longer on parole or probation, have you registered to vote? If not, why not?
- What barriers have you experienced? If yes, what did that experience mean to you?
If you prefer to share your story via one-to-one, or if you have any questions or concerns, please email our community organizer and warrior for returning the right to vote to formerly incarcerated individuals, Kareemah, at Kareemah@imancentral.org
Frequently Asked Questions
There is a lot of confusion and misinformation about who can and cannot vote in Georgia when they have a criminal record. Below is some information on voting rights in Georgia. Please read to know if you are eligible to register to vote in Georgia.
I’ve been arrested in Georgia
If you aren’t serving a sentence for a felony conviction and are registered to vote, you are eligible to vote.
I was sentenced under the First Offender Act
A felony first offender case isn’t considered a conviction unless the first offender status is revoked by a judge. If your status is that of a first offender and it has not been revoked, you are eligible to vote. If that status was revoked, you are not eligible to vote until the sentence is completed.
I am currently in jail
If you aren’t serving a felony conviction, you are eligible to vote. To register, you must mail the registration application to a local registration office.
I was convicted of a misdemeanor
You are eligible to vote. Only those convicted of a felony are ineligible until the completion of the sentence.
I pled “Nolo Contendere” to a felony offense
If you’ve pled “Nolo”, meaning “I do not wish to contend”, you are still eligible to vote, even while serving the sentence.
I am currently in prison
Unless you have been sentenced under the First Offender Act, your are ineligible to vote until the sentence is completed.
I am on probation
If the probation is for a misdemeanor conviction, or a conviction under the First Offender Act, then you are eligible to vote. You are not eligible to vote on probation for a felony until the sentence is complete.
What if i still owe fines or fees?
If you still owe fines that were imposed as a separate part of your felony sentence – in addition to incarceration or probation – your sentence may not be complete.
How do I know if my fines were a separate part of my felony sentence?
You can see what your sentence was by looking at the sentencing sheet (the disposition) in your case, which you can obtain from the clerk of court for the court that resolved your case.
Other requirements
By election day, you must be at least 18 years old, and have a photo ID. You must be a U.S. citizen, a Georgia resident, and have not been declared mentally incompetent.
How to register
You can apply online here. You can also go to your local registration or election office, the public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, schools, and other government offices for a mail-in form.
Criminal history documentation
You are not required to provide any criminal history documentation to register to vote. Granted, some people have been wrongfully removed from registration due to their criminal record, so securing a Certificate of Sentence Completion from the Department of Community Supervision can help establish that you are eligible to vote.
I am still serving a sentence for a felony
Do not register to vote. It is against the law to register to vote in Georgia when you know that you are not eligible.
