Formerly incarcerated Minnesotans can soon vote. Meet someone working to register them
Minnesota voter registration application forms are displayed during the "Restore the Vote" implementation rally at Arlington Hills Community Center on June 1 in St. Paul.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
On Saturday an estimated 55,000 Minnesotans with a felony on their records with be eligible to vote in any local, state or federal election.
They’ll be able to vote after they leave prison and before they complete parole. It’s the biggest act of voting franchisement since the voting age was changed from 21 to 18 in 1971.
Antonio Williams is the founder of Tone Up, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated people find a place back into their communities. He’s working on getting formerly incarcerated Minnesotans registered to vote now that they’re eligible.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Audio transcript
INTERVIEWER: This Saturday, July the 1st, an estimated 55,000 Minnesotans with a felony on their records will be eligible to vote in any local, state, or federal election. They'll be able to vote after they leave prison and before they complete parole. It's the biggest act of voting franchisement since the voting age was changed from 21 to 18 back in 1971. This change came because of the 2023 Minnesota legislative session.
Antonio Williams is the founder of Tone Up, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated people find a place back into their communities. He's working on getting formerly incarcerated Minnesotans registered to vote now that they're eligible. He's on the line right now. Antonio, thanks for the time. How are you doing?
SUBJECT: I'm doing well, thank you, Cathy, for having me.
INTERVIEWER: Good. I'm glad you're here. So I understand you became one of the first people with a felony on their record to register to vote earlier this month. And if you hadn't done that, you wouldn't have been able to vote until, what, 2025 or otherwise?
SUBJECT: Correct. That is correct. I, along with several of my comrades and other formerly disenfranchised folks, were able to register the day that the law took effect, which was June 1.
INTERVIEWER: How did it feel to get registered?
SUBJECT: It felt amazing. It now feels like we're able to have the access to our democracy and choose our representation, and really have a voice in what things are shaping our lives and affecting our lives on a legislative level.
INTERVIEWER: I talked to Secretary of State, Steve Simon, about this law once it was passed. And he did say the big hurdle will be getting the word out to folks. How are you finding individuals? How are you registering people? You've done it now for a few weeks. What are you hearing out there?
SUBJECT: Absolutely, yeah. And I want to shout out our Secretary of State, Steve Simon. He actually knocked doors with me June 1 to help spread the word. But yeah, that is going to be the biggest hurdle, is letting people know that this law is in effect and also letting them know that it matters.
A lot of people who have been disenfranchised for so long have kind of become jaded in saying, well, it doesn't matter. It hasn't mattered. Why should I vote? And so what we're hearing from people is one, a lot of people still don't know that this is the new law of the land. And two, the same sentiment around, well, does my vote even really matter?
So what we're doing is we're coming from the lived experience side of things. And we're saying, hey, look, it does matter. We were able to fight for ourselves and then fight for other people. And our people before us, during the Civil rights era, fought for us to be here in this moment. So it is our duty, it is our responsibility, to use our vote now that it has been restored.
INTERVIEWER: I know you founded Tone Up to work with folks who have spent time in prison, get them back on their feet. So what does-- how does restoring the right to vote, how does it help them become a part of society?
SUBJECT: Absolutely. Great question. So what we know is that people who feel welcomed back into their community, do better. So when they come home and they find the basic resources that make people feel human-- housing, clothing, all those basic necessities. When they find that, that does one part.
But when they also find that their government, their local government, actually cares about what they have to say and wants their input, and now we're being contacted and asked for advice and all of that as it relates to elections or any other thing-- ballot initiatives-- it makes people want to find their place in that. They find a new passion. They start developing an appetite for political education.
And these are the things that they call pro-social activities. And so we know that the evidence shows that people who engage in pro-social activities do better. The recidivism rates drop significantly.
So when it comes from a place of another impacted person, group, or organization who is welcoming in, welcoming them into their community in this way, it lands even better. And the impact is greater. So we want to continue to amplify that and build it out so that people really are saying, look, we have a place for us. And it's not just during elections. It's in between. And it's after.
INTERVIEWER: I have about a minute left here. And I'm wondering, what are you looking forward to in terms of getting to vote in these upcoming elections?
SUBJECT: Yes. I'm just looking forward to actually being in my polling place and engaging in all of those conversations around the elections, the different people who are running, the different issues that people are running on, and just being able to bring it back to our base and saying, hey, this is why you need to get involved and you need to cast your vote.
INTERVIEWER: All right. Antonio Williams, thanks for the time today.
SUBJECT: Thank you, Cathy.
INTERVIEWER: Antonio is the founder of Tone Up, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated people find a place back in their communities.
Antonio Williams is the founder of Tone Up, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated people find a place back into their communities. He's working on getting formerly incarcerated Minnesotans registered to vote now that they're eligible. He's on the line right now. Antonio, thanks for the time. How are you doing?
SUBJECT: I'm doing well, thank you, Cathy, for having me.
INTERVIEWER: Good. I'm glad you're here. So I understand you became one of the first people with a felony on their record to register to vote earlier this month. And if you hadn't done that, you wouldn't have been able to vote until, what, 2025 or otherwise?
SUBJECT: Correct. That is correct. I, along with several of my comrades and other formerly disenfranchised folks, were able to register the day that the law took effect, which was June 1.
INTERVIEWER: How did it feel to get registered?
SUBJECT: It felt amazing. It now feels like we're able to have the access to our democracy and choose our representation, and really have a voice in what things are shaping our lives and affecting our lives on a legislative level.
INTERVIEWER: I talked to Secretary of State, Steve Simon, about this law once it was passed. And he did say the big hurdle will be getting the word out to folks. How are you finding individuals? How are you registering people? You've done it now for a few weeks. What are you hearing out there?
SUBJECT: Absolutely, yeah. And I want to shout out our Secretary of State, Steve Simon. He actually knocked doors with me June 1 to help spread the word. But yeah, that is going to be the biggest hurdle, is letting people know that this law is in effect and also letting them know that it matters.
A lot of people who have been disenfranchised for so long have kind of become jaded in saying, well, it doesn't matter. It hasn't mattered. Why should I vote? And so what we're hearing from people is one, a lot of people still don't know that this is the new law of the land. And two, the same sentiment around, well, does my vote even really matter?
So what we're doing is we're coming from the lived experience side of things. And we're saying, hey, look, it does matter. We were able to fight for ourselves and then fight for other people. And our people before us, during the Civil rights era, fought for us to be here in this moment. So it is our duty, it is our responsibility, to use our vote now that it has been restored.
INTERVIEWER: I know you founded Tone Up to work with folks who have spent time in prison, get them back on their feet. So what does-- how does restoring the right to vote, how does it help them become a part of society?
SUBJECT: Absolutely. Great question. So what we know is that people who feel welcomed back into their community, do better. So when they come home and they find the basic resources that make people feel human-- housing, clothing, all those basic necessities. When they find that, that does one part.
But when they also find that their government, their local government, actually cares about what they have to say and wants their input, and now we're being contacted and asked for advice and all of that as it relates to elections or any other thing-- ballot initiatives-- it makes people want to find their place in that. They find a new passion. They start developing an appetite for political education.
And these are the things that they call pro-social activities. And so we know that the evidence shows that people who engage in pro-social activities do better. The recidivism rates drop significantly.
So when it comes from a place of another impacted person, group, or organization who is welcoming in, welcoming them into their community in this way, it lands even better. And the impact is greater. So we want to continue to amplify that and build it out so that people really are saying, look, we have a place for us. And it's not just during elections. It's in between. And it's after.
INTERVIEWER: I have about a minute left here. And I'm wondering, what are you looking forward to in terms of getting to vote in these upcoming elections?
SUBJECT: Yes. I'm just looking forward to actually being in my polling place and engaging in all of those conversations around the elections, the different people who are running, the different issues that people are running on, and just being able to bring it back to our base and saying, hey, this is why you need to get involved and you need to cast your vote.
INTERVIEWER: All right. Antonio Williams, thanks for the time today.
SUBJECT: Thank you, Cathy.
INTERVIEWER: Antonio is the founder of Tone Up, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated people find a place back in their communities.
Download transcript (PDF)
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.