A new group of voters is active for the 2022 November election

The August 2022 primaries and the upcoming November midterm elections are the first times many people in Washington will have the ability to cast a ballot after the right to vote was restored for formerly incarcerated people in the state.

"Part of mass incarceration in the United States is this permanent othering of folks who have been incarcerated," said Christopher Poulos, director of person-centered services with Washington's Department of Corrections.

Poulos spoke with KUOW's Seattle Now about the recent changes to Washington's voting laws.

"Rather than being welcomed home, we often face this of scarlet letter type situation, where we're prohibited from renting apartments, prohibited from volunteering in kids' schools, prohibited from securing employment that is meaningful, sustainable and at a living wage," he said, adding that restoring the right to vote is a big step away from that barrier.

"And it's actually conducive to successful re-entry, because when we feel like we are part of the community, when we feel we are included, we tend to respond in kind," Poulos said. "It creates pro-social behavior and therefore reduces crime, reduces recidivism."

For Poulos, it's personal. He served three years in prison on a federal drug conviction. Despite being incarcerated in Pennsylvania, he was a resident of Maine, which allowed felons to vote. He says the experience of receiving a ballot was positive and made him feel like he was a part of the community.

After serving time, he went to school and eventually graduated cum laude from the University of Maine School of Law.

In 2021, Washington's Legislature passed a new law that restores the right to vote for formerly incarcerated people. It went into effect Jan. 1, 2022. That means this November will be the first time many such residents will have the chance to vote in an election. This affects a group of about 12,000 to 15,000 people.

When the Legislature approved the change to the state's voting law, Poulos met with a group of others like himself at a Tacoma park. They had food and celebrated the move.

"It was all about community, as fellow human beings," he said. "That's where I'm hoping we are headed as a state, breaking down the us versus them and truly welcoming folks home when they get released."

Another person affected by Washington's new voting rules is Cyril Walrond, who says that voting is now an extension of caring about his community.

"Just the feeling of knowing ... I'm able to have my voice heard, when I've felt historically that my voice hasn't mattered," Walrond said. "I say that in the community I come from, I say that in the sense of having felt the reality that no one cares about our plight or conditions of our community, but us. And realizing that very well may be true, in part, but we have to care enough about ourselves to get out and vote."

Listen to Seattle Now's full segment on this new group of voters, with Poulos and Walrond here.