Taniel Profile picture
8 Apr, 4 tweets, 2 min read
Washington State just restored voting rights to tens of thousands of formerly incarcerated people last night.

behind this big reform: a lawmaker who is formerly incarcerated herself, & fought for this to pass.

I talked to her about why it's so important: theappeal.org/politicalrepor…
I may still do a thread unpacking all @TarraSimmons5 had to say. But mostly I won't do it justice, so I'd urge you to read it yourself.
Of having lost the franchise: “It made me feel like I wasn’t a part of my community... I feel that way still when I can’t rent an apartment or I can’t go on a field trip with my kids, those things that other people take for granted but that convicted people don’t get to enjoy.”
I'm especially happy to get to publish this Q&A in a week where some on the right are going all out arguing it's fine to have fewer voters & to toss out democracy.

This conversation captures the stakes of universal suffrage.

And that best response is getting this stuff done.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Taniel

Taniel Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Taniel

7 Apr
I appreciate conservatives making it explicit that their goal is to target democracy itself only to the extent that it gets to the bottom of what they've already long been doing, and they may as well dispense with the pretense & the constant lies about fraud.
Tragic irony is how the same people who are making this case that some of their neighbors are too unqualified to have a voice (AND are following thru with laws modeled on that idea) wld be incensed if you were to treat them as too elitist & entitled to make engagement worthwhile.
Just as I said: The people who want to argue that some of their neighbors are not intelligent enough for voting, & who argue they deserve having more voice and political power than these excluded, then get very frustrated when you don’t engage *them*. You can’t make this stuff up
Read 4 tweets
7 Apr
JUST NOW: Tishaura Jones WINS mayoral election in St. Louis.

She ran as the most progressive candidate in the primary & the runoff: includes support for ending cash bail, decriminalizing sex work, closing Workhouse jail, & more.

She's the 1st black woman elected as mayor here.
This was a big election that saw activists focused on housing & policing demands, among other issues.

@megoconnor13's explains below. Also see her reporting for the stakes on:
—housing: theappeal.org/st-louis-mayor…
—& criminal justice: theappeal.org/politicalrepor…

theappeal.org/tishaura-jones…
Since Ferguson & all the activism that followed, elections in St. Louis region have been transfomative.

This is at least 4th win for ppl who ran on changing status quo on criminal justice:

Cori Bush’s primary
St Louis Co. prosecutor
St Louis City prosecutor
this mayor’s race
Read 5 tweets
7 Apr
Results are coming in from St. Louis: In the mayoral election, absentee ballots have Tishaura Jones (who ran as the most progressive candidate in the first round, & now in the runoff) *way* ahead -- 60% to 39%.
while we wait: Jones & runoff opponent Cara Spencer moved on to the runoff after taking the first 2 spots last month via a new election process here called *approval voting*. (i.e.: voters were asked to vote for as many people as they approved of.)
Polls are now also closed in the Omaha mayoral election & Wisconsin's statewide superintendent of education election (a major showdown between Scott Walker and unions/progressives) & a bunch of legislative elections. [Details here as always: whatsontheballot.com/2021-primaries]
Read 4 tweets
5 Apr
There are two imported mayoral elections taking place this Tuesday — both of which bear the clear mark of the recent BLM protests & all the activism around policing.

A brief thread on both, as we enter the stretch of the year where Tuesday nights will be more intense again.
1️⃣ ST LOUIS: 2 most progressive candidates moved to the runoff, in context of years of organizing since Ferguson. Now they face off on Tuesday.

At stake: closing the notorious Workhouse jail; cash bail; and more. @megoconnor13 previewed field in Feb: theappeal.org/politicalrepor…
2️⃣ OMAHA: In one of bigger cities with a GOP mayor, who raised police budget last year & now faces Dem challengers who are proposing reforms of various degrees. Tuesday is the 1st round.

@TheWayWithAnoa reports on all the build-up in the organizing: ow.ly/d2mA30rCO7J
Read 4 tweets
4 Apr
It keeps being remarkable to see analyses of the Georgia law treat it as a set of good-faith provisions that can be assessed independently from how voting rules have been used in Georgia to intimidate & scare — not decades ago, but continually, recently:
These provisions below are some of the most important. Because has been the heart of this playbook — and continues to be:
And to frame concerns about criminalization, intimidation, & suppression in Georgia as something “Democrats are concerned about” packs such disregard for history and historical reality.
Read 4 tweets
1 Apr
Andrew Cuomo has just two more minutes to sign or veto a historic bill against solitary confinement in New York. (My understanding is the bill becomes law if he does nothing.) 👀
Midnight passed. It would appear Cuomo’s office will make no news tonight; this could mean the #HALTsolitary bill is now law without his signature, but it may also be he issued a veto he’ll publicize tmrw.

Bill would get NY in line with not doing what the UN defines as torture.
UPDATE: Cuomo signed the #HALTsolitary bill tonight — & advocates are now celebrating it becoming law.

A caution that signature came with amendments (typically discussed with leg leaders) — & important to see just what those are to understand final shape.
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!