KPBS Midday Edition

Should People On Parole Be Allowed To Vote In California?

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Marissa Cabrera / News Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published June 29, 2020 at 9:46 AM PDT

This story was published more than 4 years ago.

An early voting and registration sign is shown inside the San Diego Registrar of Voters' office, Feb. 18, 2020.

This November, California voters will decide whether the state should restore voting rights to nearly 40,000 people on parole for a felony.

The California legislature approved putting a measure on the November ballot that asks voters whether people on parole for a felony should have a right to vote.

While people incarcerated in local jails or on probation are allowed to vote, those serving time in a state prison or on parole are stripped of their voting rights.

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Supporters say the current ban disenfranchises a disproportionate number of Black and Latino voters. Opponents believe taking away voting rights is part of the price people should pay for committing a crime.

There are more than 40,000 Californians on parole.

Taina Vargas-Edmond, executive director of Initiate Justice, an advocacy group sponsoring the proposal, joined Midday Edition on Monday to discuss why this is a matter of racial justice.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Marissa Cabrera

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Marissa Cabrera worked as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and had previously served as a Newscast Producer for KPBS' Morning Edition. Before joining KPBS she reported on Vatican affairs, social, and cultural issues in Rome, Italy. She also contributed to a documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Marissa has worked as a multimedia journalist at various news stations in San Diego and Monterey as well as Columbia, Missouri. Marissa graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

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