SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Oct.14, 2020: Dozens of newly registered voters in Alameda County and San Francisco will be able to cast their ballots in the upcoming presidential election, and many of them likely did not know they could.
Through a new “make your voice heard”- themed initiative, the leaders of Five Keys Schools and Programs are placing a high priority on making sure that the approximately 300 incarcerated students they teach in the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, CA and the approximately 1,035 unsheltered guests who are living in the seven navigation centers and hotel sites they currently run in San Francisco and Oakland know their rights, including their right to vote. They’re helping them register and participate in the upcoming Nov. 3, election. They are also helping them drop off or mail ballots.
“It’s important for our students to know their voting rights,” says Lillian Santos-Stables, principal at the Santa Rita Jail high school education program, which is run by Five Keys Schools and Programs.
The goal: to get the word out and enroll as many people as possible who are interested and excited to vote, adds Meg O’Neill, director of San Francisco Housing Services for Five Keys. The program is crucial, as many of the inmates and guests at the navigation and hotel shelters were not aware of their right to vote, how to access voting, where to vote and how the process works.
Providing this information is key to removing barriers and empowering individuals to exercise their right to vote.
“We want to make sure our guests are given agency, a voice and an opportunity to participate in this year's very important election,” O’Neill adds. “People of color, people who are poor and unhoused, people who are perceived as ‘less than,’ are often intentionally blocked from participating in the political process. Through this work, we can ensure that our guests feel welcomed and encouraged to share their voices in a political climate which threatens their rights, representation, and well-being. We hope Five Keys will lift the voices of our guests in a way that allows them to be a powerful force in the political landscape, both locally and nationally.”
At the Santa Rita Jail, Five Keys teamed up with the Alameda District Attorney’s Office to create an educational video for inmates that gives an overview of voting rights and the history of voting in the United States. Santos and teacher produced a video depicting their own “Why I Vote” stories. Principal Santos-Stables and a handful of teachers provided personal and emotional glimpses of how voting can give people a canvas for hope, unity, and justice. Their hope is to inspire inmates to keep striving for change through the power of their vote. Inmates also can meet via live video chats with teachers who can help answer their questions about history and voting.
With the Oct. 19, 2020 voter’s registration deadline looming, Five Keys leadership at the two navigation centers — Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center and Bayshore Navigation — along with the six hotels and an eighth site, are also working to make the process of voting in the U.S. presidential election as easy and stress-free as possible for the hundreds of men and women who are currently unsheltered and have a California I.D., which makes them eligible to vote. At least one of the hotel sites worked closely with the Department of Elections to make the information accessible to guests. Many of the staff at the centers, who have transformed their own lives and have past criminal justice system involvement, were not aware until this educational campaign that they can vote on probation in California, and also were able to register.
“We kicked off efforts at all of our individual sites to get all our guests registered,” says Patricia Richard, Director of the Navigation Centers. “We want our guests to know that everybody’s vote counts and to make sure we do everything we can to help them register and vote.”
On a recent day, Raymond, who in June was released from prison when his sentence was struck down after serving 21 years of a life sentence and now is employed as an ambassador for Five Keys, was busily marching up and down the corridors of the Moscone Center posting posters proclaiming, “Your Vote Matters: Register Today and Vote on November 3rd,” and “It’s Your World. Shape it or Someone Else Will. Vote.”
“I’m trying to do positive things to help others and save their lives,” says Raymond.
At Santa Rita, inmates can view the video with the powerful emotional tales of Santos and the teaching staff on why it is so crucial for them to exercise their right to vote.
“Whenever I vote, I’m honoring the legacy of my grandfather, who was one of 250,000 men from the Philippines who fought alongside Americans in World War II,” says Santos-Stables. “Because he did that, he could vote in the U.S. when he moved here. He helped pave the way for me to know I have a voice and it will be heard.”
“Not voting is not a protest, it is a surrender,” Miss F. says in the video.
Teacher Mr. Tim offered these words of wisdom: “If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it.” He was quoting Anthony J. D'Angelo – American author, founder of Collegiate Empowerment and creator of The Inspiration Book Series.
About Five Keys Schools & Programs
Dedicated to getting people’s lives back on track, Five Keys Schools and Programs and its more than 950 dedicated employees serve more than 25,000 individuals each year throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and nine counties throughut the state of California. Five Keys was founded in 2003 by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department as the first accredited charter high school in the nation to provide diploma programs for adults in county jails. Today, its efforts have grown exponentially. The organization interrupts the cycles of homelessness, substance abuse, violence, illiteracy and incarceration through our 80 community learning centers, transitional housing shelters, career centers, and community-based workforce networks by investing in their humanity so that they can be self-determined to change their lives. Five Keys also hires people directly into our transitional employment positions for formerly incarcerated individuals and people currently or formerly experiencing homelessness, while also employing over 300 formerly incarcerated individuals in full-time, benefited positions. www.fivekeys.org.
About the Santa Rita Jail
Located in Dublin, CA, the jail holds about 4,000 inmates housed in one of eighteen modern housing units. It is considered a "mega-jail" and ranks as the third largest facility in California and the fifth largest in the nation. Santa Rita is accredited by the American Correctional Association, thus making it the only facility in California holding this prestigious award. It is recognized as one of the most technologically innovative jails in the world. A robotic system speeds delivery of laundry supplies and food to all areas of the 113-acre campus. State-of-the-art criminal justice systems serve the internal operation, while the largest rooftop solar power system converts enough electricity to power nearly one-half of the facility's electrical needs during daylight hours. Sheriff Ahern's philosophy of cost-effective delivery of services is reflected in the private sector partnerships that support the jail's operation. A modem cook-chill food service operation produces 12,000 economical meals per day. On site medical and mental health services save money while reducing the patient load at county medical facilities. Throughout its history, the Santa Rita Jail Facility has served the criminal justice system and contributed to the safety of the citizens of the County of Alameda by providing a safe, secure, and humane environment for inmates and staff.