Hundreds of formerly incarcerated people to vote, encouraged by Modesto re-entry program

Legacy Alliance Outreach, a re-entry program in Modesto that helps once-incarcerated people adjust to life outside of prison, has registered around 270 of them to vote in this year's presidential election.

Since the passage of state Proposition 17 in 2020, people who were convicted of felonies and released with or without bail are now able to cast ballots..

Michael Baldwin, the founder and executive director of Legacy Alliance Outreach, is also voting for the first time after being incarcerated for 26 years.

"I'll probably be one of the happiest people in the voting line, because I think that sometimes we take those types of obligations for granted," the 53-year-old said.

Proposition 17 passed with 59% approval of California voters, restoring voting rights for parolees with felony records.

Michael Whitelaw, 36, was convicted of a felony when he was 18 years old.

"I was always under the impression you couldn't vote if you're a felon, so I was just enlightened that I could," he said.

Baldwin said he has worked hard to register people who otherwise wouldn't have known they could vote. Legacy Alliance Outreach plans to secure transportation to the polls Tuesday so the new voters can cast their ballots.

Joshua Hilburn said he felt anxious and excited about voting for the first time.

"I'm happy because I get to vote, I never thought I would be able to," he said. "It just surprised me that California has given a person the opportunity to step up and have their voice heard for once in the country."

Michael Patton said he is looking forward to voting for the first time but doesn't know what to expect.

"Ever since I've been working on myself and my recovery, I'm trying to do all of the 'normal people' things, you know," he said. "I'm trying to learn new experiences and things I've never done in life, and this is one of those things."

Darnell Green is from west Modesto and said what he is most looking forward to are the City Council races.

"I'm looking forward to seeing who will at least do something for the community and be actively participating in overseeing the community," he said.

Esther Narango got out of prison in May and is one of the many voters going to the vote center Tuesday.

"It's a whole new experience knowing we're allowed to vote being on parole, which really surprised me," she said. "I mean, if we're paying taxes, we should be able to vote."

Baldwin said he felt like he was raised not to vote.

"I wasn't supposed to vote, I wasn't supposed to care about that stuff," he said. "Until I started learning and studying and realized that the more I don't care about that, the more of those decisions are made for me, and they're not usually made in my best interest."

Sammy Provencio said getting to vote has helped him feel part of the community. That's why it's important that formerly incarcerated people get that chance, he said.

"This is a country of democracy, you know, we get to choose and we get to pick," he said. "This is my first time voting for measures like for infrastructure and city schools and supervisors and electing mayors."

Lorenzo Vargas went to prison when he was 20 years old and just got out July 2. He's now 63 and said he was originally hesitant to vote because he wanted to make sure he could do his homework on the candidates and measures.

"This is my country and I'm embracing it," Vargas said. "I've been given another opportunity and I want to do the best I can to make the right choices.

Jesse Ceceña was in prison for 44 years, he's now 63 years old. By the time he turned 18 and would be eligible to vote, he was already incarcerated."So now I can get that opportunity, something that I thought I would never have an opportunity to do," Ceceña said. "I didn't believe that my voice mattered, then today I see that it does matter."