James Gray, Oxon Hill, MD

James is a reformed felon who served his time, did his community service, served parole, and is now registered to vote in Maryland. He had never voted before when he was charged with selling drugs and imprisoned, but once he had served out the term of his parole he immidiately registered to vote. James asked questions about his civil rights and bided his time in jail. He understood and agreed that he had not been a law abiding citizen and had to face the consequences of that, but he also understood that he never really lost the right to vote, he was only denied that right by the powers that be.

In May 2008, James finished the terms of his parole and is once again free to vote. He now spends his time managing a warehouse and caring for his elderly mother, disabled brother, and three children. James is a 35-year-old black American.

Near the end of his sentence, James asked what his rights were and found that he would regain his right to vote once he had served all of his time, done community service, and done parole. A few months ago he filled out a voter registration form. He is now registered to vote and lives in Oxon Hill, Maryland. He has three kids (two boys and a girl), manages a warehouse in Sterling, Virginia and takes care of his elderly mother and disabled brother.

It is often gossiped and generally believed that if you serve any jail or prison time you loose your right to vote, this is not true in most states. James made a point to get his facts straight and learned that after he had served his time, he could practice his fundamental rights as an American by making his voice heard on Election Day.

There are a lot of things he would tell the goverment as a new voter. That is why James dons a big smile when he thinks about the day his voter registration card arrived in the mail.

With his mother in her eighties and his brother disabled, he is very concerned about the nation's policy on healthcare. For example, he belives that if healthcare policy was more responsive his brother would be able to live on his own. As a father, keeping his family happy and healthy is a prime concern. Currently his job takes care of his kids healthcare but they are not the only ones that he supports and has opinions on what elected officials can do to help. He feels that his mother and brother should be getting better support.

"Government is supposed to be listening," he said, "Every citizen's voice must be heard."

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