Thread by @Taniel

A NY lawmaker said that allowing voting from prison is "insulting" to law enforcement.

So I reached out to prosecutors & DOCs in Maine & Vermont, which enable prison voting, to ask about that.

And received some powerful replies. Check it out! And thread. theappeal.org/politicalrepor…

Those who replied defended prison voting, or else shrugged it off as a non-issue.

The prosecutor of VT's biggest county said: "That quote is appalling. .... It’s a good reflection of how inhumane our system has become."

If nothing else, read her quote: theappeal.org/politicalrepor…

But this is key: DAs or DOCs in ME & VT are interesting not bc they have special say. On the contrary.

What they signal is the gap between a system like NY, that sets them up as gatekeepers of voting rights, & one like VT's, where public officials don't get to police who votes.

Each time DAs decide whether to charge someone with a felony, or whether to offer someone a deal that avoids prison, or how long a sentence to seek, they shift the voting public.

And we know such decisions systematically skew against people of color. theappeal.org/politicalrepor…

That power validates those who see people in prison as vanquished adversaries to be cut off from the world.

But multiple officials in ME & VT cast voting as a link between incarcerated people & the world beyond the prison. A way to fight civil death.

theappeal.org/politicalrepor…