Categories
Press Room

The Doe Fund to Host “It’s Your Right: Register to Vote” Event for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals on Sept. 29 in Harlem

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2018

Contact:
Shannon Moriarty
617-824-0069
smoriarty@doe.org

The Doe Fund to Host Voter Registration Event for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals on Sept. 29 in Harlem
“It’s Your Right: Register to Vote,” hosted in partnership with 100 Suits, NYCLA, and the Hon. Milton Tingling, will provide resources for formerly incarcerated individuals. 

New York, NY On Saturday, September 29th, The Doe Fund will host a voter registration event targeting formerly incarcerated individuals. The event, It’s Your Right: Register to Vote, will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at The Doe Fund’s Harlem facility (2960 Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York, NY 10039).

It’s Your Right: Register to Vote is presented by The Doe Fund in partnership with 100 Suits, the New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA), and the Hon. Milton Tingling, New York County Clerk, Commissioner of Jurors and Clerk of the Supreme Court.

In the state of New York, the tides are changing for formerly incarcerated citizens. Hundreds of formerly incarcerated individuals have seen their voting rights restored following Governor Cuomo’s April 2018 executive order. As a result, every New Yorker with a criminal record is now eligible for review for a voting restoration pardon.

“Civic engagement is a crucial part of successful reentry, especially for formerly incarcerated individuals who have been cut off from their communities,” says George T. McDonald, Founder and President of The Doe Fund. “With the New York General Election just weeks away on November 6th, we wanted to ensure that anyone who can vote has the information and tools to exercise that right.”

In addition to voter registration, It’s Your Right: Register to Vote will include a drop-in legal clinic for formerly incarcerated individuals who wish to learn more about Certificates of Relief and Good Conduct, run by trained volunteers from the New York County Lawyers Association. Event attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a mobile “boutique experience” offered by 100 Suits.

“We are thrilled to be able to partner with The Doe Fund for our latest legal clinic, as we continue to educate formerly incarcerated individuals about ways they can break down barriers to employment, housing and voting,” said the Hon. Milton Tingling, New York County Clerk, Commissioner of Jurors and Clerk of the Supreme Court and Anthe Maria Bova, General Counsel and Director of Pro Bono Programs at NYCLA. “Each clinic is an opportunity to enrich the lives of our sisters and brothers who are actively trying to improve and make positive contributions to their communities. We are also thankful to existing partners 100 Suits and the NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch for their continued support.”

It’s Your Right: Register to Vote is free and open to the public, though the legal clinic and boutique are first-come, first-serve. For more information, visit doe.org.

# # #

Media Contact: Shannon Moriarty (smoriarty@doe.org, 617-824-0069)

Name: It’s Your Right: Register to Vote
Where: The Doe Fund’s Harlem facility (2960 Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York, NY 10039)
When: Saturday, September 29, 2018 from 11:00-2:00 p.m.
Who: Free and open to the public
To learn more: Visit doe.org or contact Tianna Porter (tporter@doe.org, 347-262-4071)

Event details:

  • Voter Registration (in the cafeteria) for those who have not yet registered to vote in the State of New York, regardless of felony or misdemeanor convictions.
  • Legal Clinic for Certificates of Relief and Good Conduct (in the library; first come, first served basis) for Ready, Willing & Able program participants who want to remove collateral consequences from their record. For additional information and to sign up, please contact Tianna Porter at tporter@doe.org or 347-262-4071.
  • 100 Suits Boutique (in the cafeteria; first come, first served basis) for anyone interested in getting the full “boutique” experience, complete with a suit fitting with a stylist, a haircut/grooming session, and a review of professional etiquette.

# # #

About The Doe Fund
The Doe Fund provides housing, paid work opportunities, and supportive services to over 22,000 formerly homeless and incarcerated men in New York City. Its programs are proven to reduce recidivism, improve the quality of life in city neighborhoods, and foster permanent economic independence among its clients. For more, visit doe.org.

About 100 Suits
The mission of 100 Suits for 100 Men is to help underprivileged men and women improve their role in society, build dignity and self-esteem, foster self-sufficiency, dispel stereotypes, and promote community involvement in order to build each other up. For more, visit 100suits.org.

About the New York County Lawyers Association
The New York County Lawyers Association was founded in 1908 as one of the first major bar associations in the country that admitted members without regard to race, ethnicity, religion or gender. Since its inception, it has pioneered some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence. For more, visit nycla.org