One year and a day after our founder Norris Henderson came home from prison, VOTE was officially founded. March 24, 2004 marked the start of a people-led movement to transform Louisiana’s criminal (in)justice system and shift the culture of incarceration through the perspective of formerly incarcerated people.

In the years since, we’ve passed legislation to restore voting rights, and won 61% approval on a statewide amendment to end non-unanimous juries. Our New Orleans inclusive public housing policy was the first in America, as was the statewide Ban the Box in higher ed. We’ve registered thousands of people to vote and grown our movement to three cities in Louisiana.  

Today we celebrate with you twenty years of advocacy, elevating voices, and building people power from the outside. 

This milestone is full circle for the organization. VOTE began organizing on the inside as men with life sentences and has turned into organizing leaders on the inside from the outside. A select group of men, including VOTE staff Norris, Checo Yancy, Eugene Dean, Donald Arbuthnot, and Calvin Duncan organized the Angola Special Civics Project (ASCP) with Louisiana State Penitentiary in the 1980s– adding another 20+ years of organizing and power building to VOTE’s rich history. Their organization became the foundation of what VOTE is today.  

With over 40 years to reflect on, we decided we’re going to take the rest of the year to fully celebrate!