In a well organized peaceful civil-dissent to state law that prohibits state prisoners and parolees from voting in local municipalities and national elections, San Quentin inmates conducted a mock election on Sat.,Oct. 25 which marked the beginning of absentee voting in California.
The ballot contained the presidential candidates, Obama-Biden (Democrat), McCain-Palin (Republican), Nader-Gonzales (Independent) and McKinney-Clemente (Green Party). It also included five state propositions from the Nov. 4 election, Prop. 5—The Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act (Nora), Prop. 6—The Safe Neighborhood Act, Prop. 7—Renewable Fuel Sources. Prop. 8—Protect Marriage Act, and Prop. 9—Victim’s Rights and Protection Act.
Classrooms became voting stations and community volunteers became poll-workers and election monitors. Inmates lined-up for voting, each presenting his prison I.D. with picture identification at the check-in table where a volunteer and an inmate marks his name in the official print-out provided by the administration.
“Just to make sure nobody votes twice,” says Red, 57, an inmate with a big smile. “I voted against Prop—8, because I don’t think they should amend the constitution. I voted against Prop— 9, because It’s a vengeful bill,” says Red.
Scott, 47, an inmate standing by the voting classroom conducting an exit-poll said, “I’m doing this to see how close our thinking process aligns with the outside community. It shows, even though we are not allowed to vote, that we are still involved and pay attention to the issues affecting our community.”
Mike Dunne, a community volunteer in S.Q. Film Makers Project, followed by a handful of inmates with expensive TV cameras, believes in rehabilitation instead of incarceration. “This idea of conducting voting here at S. Q. at the start of the absentee voting in California is an idea and a project by the inmates themselves. It has historic implications. It’s voting of the un-counted. It’s training for the inmates to follow the issues and to form independent decisions based upon what is real, and objectively caring rather than subjective interests,” says Dunne.
According to Dunne, the ballots will be tabulated and sealed until Nov. 4. Similar voting will take place for inmates in H-Unit. Today’s designated for the 743 inmates of North Block. The check-in records reflect that 66 percent of the population voted in this mock election.
“In Europe over 75 percent of eligible voters do vote. I know how it feels to be disenfranchised. I’m one of the disenfranchised. I can’t vote because I’m not a citizen. This election is about the men here. There are too many issues at stake in this election. I would like them to have hope by connecting to common issues,” says Doris, a German citizen and a graduate of San Francisco State University with a degree in psychology. Doris, who refers to S.Q. inmates as “the men,” believes that Prop. 9 is catastrophic. “We ought to direct our social education toward building society of citizens rather than of consumers,” said Doris, before paying full attention to the entire baseball team, arriving in their team uniforms to vote. Someone said, “They may run-out of ballots.” Another inmate shouted “Florida, Florida!” Laughter and comments before Doris responded, “We have the ballot template, and if we need more we will get copies.”
Kathleen, a seventh-grade teacher who teaches English to S.Q. inmates participating in Patten University, believes that a great number of the inmates are more aware of the socio-economic issues than many people on the outside. She finds most of the inmates knowledgeable, engaging and seeking redemption by trying to learn more. “This election gives them a sense of hope that someone really cares,” says Kathleen, who is not a democrat but does intend to vote for Obama, “because he gives hope to many.”
When asked if this mock election would make any difference, she responded with deep earnestness, “There is a man who came and voted, and after he was done he said, ’I don’t feel like a criminal right now.’ The fact (that) people don’t understand that people can change is a crime,” says Kathleen.
In Switzerland, the government faces pandemic drug addictions. They don’t consider it a criminal problem, but they consider it a health problem that requires a health solution.
The advocates of the Swiss solution say that decriminalizing similar problems in the U.S. would enlarge the problem, that sending adolescents and adults to prison for drug use would expand the power of a corporate vigil-justice driven by a rich lobby. Others advocate Prop—5 as a solution.
