Voting rights had been suspended during his life of crime and prison time
Published: October 31, 2008
Limon Sykes was excited as he stood in line yesterday at the Malloy Jordan Recreation Center on East Seventh Street.
Sykes, 67, was getting ready to vote for the first time in his life.
With a predicted high turnout for this election, there probably could be thousands of people his age casting ballots for the first time. But for Sykes, the chance to vote was also one more sign of a new direction in his life.
"This is the first time in my life that I've had my (voting rights) restored because I have been in and out of prison so many years," Sykes said. "I'm really excited about it because it has never happened to me before. I stayed in trouble so much."
The Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice teamed up with the Winston-Salem Black Political Action Committee to take about 70 former offenders to vote, although organizers were hoping to raise the number to at least 100 before the drive was finished. (more…)
