“Nobody comes back and informs you that your voting rights are restored,” said Pamela Winn, an Atlanta organizer who was formerly incarcerated.
The national rate has fallen in recent years as some states expanded voting rights for people with past convictions, but Georgia has not followed suit.
Some people with past convictions feel the government has always failed them and don’t want to vote.
“The priority is survival.”Inconsistency from state to state also adds to confusion about whether people can register, observers say.
The Sentencing Project estimates that over half of the people who can’t vote due to past convictions in Georgia are Black.

Advocates in Georgia face barriers getting people who were formerly incarcerated to vote