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Floridian Sam Heyward has been voting in presidential elections for years. As a black man voting in a contentious state in the upcoming November election, he knows his vote is exceedingly important. But Heyward found out in the last election that his vote was not counted, and has not been counted for more than a decade. Convicted of a felony and briefly incarcerated in 1981, Heyward was informed that his voting rights were restored in 1986, years after release. His vote was not counted in the 2000 election. On July 15, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held a hearing to determine why eligible voters are still incorrectly purged from voter lists in Florida. Testifying before the Commission, Ralph G. Neas, President of People For the American Way (PFAW), echoed Heyward's remarks. [more]