Recovery Voices Count!

Recovery Voices Count is a national project working to build the recovery community (people in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs, families,friends and allies)into a strong unified constituency with one voice for the 2008 Elections and beyond.Growing numbers of recovery community organizations and recovery advocates across the country are getting involved in nonpartisan voting activities so that their voices can be heard in the local, state and national arenas. They are conducting voter registration and Get-Out-the-Vote activities, sponsoring candidate forums and getting candidates for political office on record about critical policies that will make recovery a reality for even more Americans.Recovery Voices Count is one part of Faces and Voices of Recovery's (www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org) national movement to make it possible for even more of our friends, neighbors and family members to experience long-term recovery from addiction by building recognition of the recovery community as a constituency of consequence. As recovery community organizations and recovery advocates register voters, educate candidates for public office about key issues and turn out voters in growing numbers, we will have an even greater impact on the lives of people who still need help with their addiction, people in long-term recovery, their family members and communities.With less than half of eligible Americans voting, Recovery Voices Count is a great way to help people take the first step in civic participation and build your recovery community organization. Every individual eligible to vote needs to be encouraged to register to vote and, if already registered, encouraged to vote.One policy issue that is very important to the recovery community is restoring the right of people with criminal convictions to vote. More than five million Americans are barred from the polls because of these restrictions. Many of these disenfranchised people have experience with addiction and face lifetime bans on participating in our civic life as voters. Recovery community organizations around the country are working in coalition with allied organizations to right this wrong.Many people in recovery have also experienced insurance descrimination from insurance companies. We need to work towards equality as someone's treatment should be covered as equally as if someone was dealing with a physical illness.Join us in reaching out and organizing the recovery community to participate in our electoral process. Join us in making Recovery Voices Count!www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org