Published:
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The ACLU of Washington has many wonderful interns who assist with our work. We would like you to meet some of them.
Kristin Kelly worked last summer with the Racial Disparity Project, whose mission is to reduce racial disparity in the criminal justice system; it works through community organizing, policy advocacy, individual representation, public education, research, and litigation. While there, she met several ACLU staff members and became interested in our work. So, when it came time to choose an externship, she decided to join our Policy Advocacy Group and focus on criminal justice issues. She is excited to learn more about the ACLU and has enjoyed her work on legislation that will make a difference in our state.
She also has been working on an ACLU-WA effort to protect voting rights, seeking to ensure that people are not removed unfairly from the voting rolls. Washington is among 28 states that have agreed to share voter registration information in an attempt to curb potential voter fraud. The states will cross people off the “active voter status” list in the state they leave when moving across state borders. There are many practical questions, such as how to identify people registered in multiple states; “John Smith,” for example, is common enough to create problems. The ACLU-WA is examining procedures to safeguard against people being moved to the “inactive” voter list without being notified and given a chance to appeal.
Kristin studied Society, Ethics and Human Behavior focusing on African American History as an undergrad at the University of Washington, while simultaneously working as a paralegal. Now she is in law school at Seattle University. “While law school is not my idea of a good time,” she says, “I am really enjoying the transfer from private law firms to public interest.” She hopes to spend this summer working with Seattle’s Community Police Commission and plans to graduate from SU next spring. When asked about her hobbies, Kristin laughed and said she doesn’t have time for them right now; she listens to audio recordings of textbooks during her commute because she can’t waste that time. But she says that she used to enjoy hiking and reading for pleasure, and looks forward to getting back to both when next she has any free time.
