Formerly incarcerated man votes for first time in Illinois

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Jomar Lopez walked into a polling station for the first time, last week.

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"Voting is something I wanted to do for a long time, so I'm grateful that I finally got that opportunity," Lopez said.

Lopez had been in prison for the last 20 years for his role in a deadly robbery. He was 15 years old at the time.

Being civically engaged is a priority for him.

"Voting goes for your taxes, your local municipals, it just goes down the list. Like it literally impacts every aspect of your life," he said. "So for you not to have a vote or a voice on that, like, that's like some third world county stuff."

In Illinois, formerly incarcerated people can vote as soon as they get out of prison, unlike many other states.

"This is America, and we're in Illinois, like we deserve that right," he said.

Lopez has been out of prison for about a month and said getting reacclimated to the world has its challenges but, he wants his journey to be one of resilience, reflection and encouragement.

Gov. Pritzker signed legislation, restoring a convicted felons right to vote after release, back in 2019.