T.I. Rocks the Vote Despite Felon Status
Rap star and convicted felon T.I. exercised his right to vote today in Georgia. The rapper admitted that he was unaware he still had the right to place a vote considering he's a convicted felon, but under Georgia law felons are eligible if they're not currently serving probation or a prison sentence.
"It's a relief," T.I. said as he waited in line at a polling center in Atlanta. "This is what it is all about, not staying up late and waking up early to vote," he added as took advantage of the early voting polling station. "Now rather than just talking about it, I'm being about it. I'm leading by example, and it makes me feel a lot better."
The rapper has had a few run-ins with the law, which includes his 2007 arrest in a Walgreens parking lot for attempting to buy a slew of machine guns and silencers. T.I. pleaded guilty to illegal weapons possession and was sentenced to seven months of house arrest, 1,500 hours of community service and one year in jail. He'll begin serving his one-year sentence in March.
"Until he is sentenced in the federal case, he doesn't have a conviction yet," T.I.'s attorney Steve Sadow confirmed. "Even though he is a convicted felon, he has a right to vote since he is not serving probation and hasn't started his prison sentence."
In related news, Atlanta duo Playaz Circle want to spread the word and raise awareness for convicted felons' voter registration rights. Like T.I., many felons are unaware of their voting rights, which accounts for a large number of unregistered voters across the country. Playaz Circle is working with organizations to shed some light on issues involving the disenfranchisement of felons.
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