At the age of 24, I was wrongfully convicted of rape and sentenced to forty years in prison in New York. My journey through the system taught me patience, resilience and perseverance, for a start. It also taught me about the importance of a true democracy where government is accountable to the people. This year in Albany, I urge our leaders to make this aspiration a reality by passing public financing of elections and automatic voter registration. These critical reforms cannot wait.

Elections matter deeply for people like me. For one thing, judges and district attorneys are elected officials who have enormous power over outcomes in the criminal justice system. In my case, the decisions made by judges and prosecutors determined my fate for the 22 years I was wrongfully imprisoned, and then for an additional eight years, I spent fighting for compensation.