Columbus organization informing people with criminal records of voting rights

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Voters in Georgia and Alabama will head to the polls in the coming weeks to make their choices in the presidential primaries.

A Columbus organization called Southerners on New Ground (SONG) is working to inform people with criminal records of their voting rights.

According to georgiavotes.org, anyone in Georgia who is not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction is eligible to vote in the state. An outreach leader for SONG said the organization is focusing on getting information out to people in marginalized communities.

"We're focused on these marginalized communities because they are the first ones to have an encounter with the justice system and their rights taken away,” said Reijeim Douglas.

If someone is treated as a first offender and their sentence has not been revoked, they are also eligible to vote in Georgia. If a first offender case was revoked and the person is still serving the sentence, they are not eligible to vote until the sentence is complete.

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