Andy Hope Williams Jr., is a 2024 Presidential applicant. He was formerly incarcerated and is now a minister at AWJ Ministries where he is an advocate for prisoner’s rights. His ministry focuses on setting prisoners [both current and former] free from mental, physical, and spiritual bondage. On July 1, 2021, Williams filed a lawsuit in Federal Court on behalf of himself and prisoners comprised of “descendants of Aboriginal, Indigenous, and marginalized people who [were] “in bondage.”
His suit drove home his claim that no individual should “be subjected” to forced labor. Any system that continues such practices is a violation of people’s rights. Williams’ lawsuit reinforces the principles of freedom. Freedom that comes from our Creator, Nature’s God. A freedom that is unalienable. Williams makes a commitment to ensure this freedom is experienced by all, including the current and formerly incarcerated.
Ballot or the Bars
Almost one-third of the adult population lives with a criminal record or a conviction. They carry a felony on their permanent record, and in US States, that record is a stain. Many live with the criminal record’s consequences for the rest of their lives. Some cannot vote or run for state or a local elected office. To combat that, Williams has launched an initiative: “The Ballot or the Bars”. The initiative ensures the right to vote to past and present incarcerated people, as well as the Natives. He aims to deliver that right by the 2024 Presidential election.
It’s often overlooked that self-government in America was practiced by Native Americans long before the formation of the United States government. And yet, Native Americans continue to face struggle for protection of their voting rights. Even with the lawful right to vote in every state, Native Americans have suffered from poll taxes, literacy tests, fraud and intimidation.
Solution
The Supreme Court has “long recognized that a person’s right to vote is ‘individual and personal in nature.” Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 561 (1964). As a formerly incarcerated individual, Williams is on a mission to make sure every vote counts in this 2024 election. Williams and his A-Team are on a mission to ensure every Native, current and formerly incarcerated individual, including those in county jails have access to and receive a Federal-Write In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) and vote this 2024 Federal election. He needs your help to accomplish this goal.
