Protecting Black Voters' Access To The Polls Is The Right Thing To Do

At the federal level, presidential candidates are debating whether incarcerated people should have the right to vote, but the conversation frequently stops short of digging into how the criminal justice system disproportionately imprisons Black people, or how past felonies often skew voting demographics for years to come. And when that misinformation targets Black people, it can result in catastrophic consequences for communities who desperately need to be heard by their local, state, and federal governments.Now, onto voter apathy: It’s easy to tell people to vote, but the “how to” and “why” are the real challenges. I also realize that schools don’t teach civic education in a uniform manner, and income equality makes it difficult to make ends meet, let alone to show up at the polls come voting day.To fight all of this, we need to foster conversations rooted in love to bring more Black voices into our democracy. It’s just the right thing to do.Chakena Sims is Board President of Chicago Votes Action Fund: a non-partisan, non-profit organization focused on building a more inclusive democracy by putting power in the hands of young Chicagoans.Over 4 million people will turn 18 between now and the 2020 election.