The newest candidate to jump into the crowded Congressional District 1 race needs your vote.
As a felon, Brian Malnes canβt cast a vote himself in November. It has been 25 years since he robbed a bank in Salt Lake City. He spent three years in prison, but was never able to get his voting rights restored.
Malnes has worn many hats since getting out of prison, becoming a poet, a journalist, a plumber and the founder of the Prisoner Theory Institute.
Sick of being ignored by politicians, Malnes is running for Congress to restore the voting rights for what he estimated to be millions of Americans.
He also vows to push for a constitutional amendment that voting rights cannot be taken away for any reason.
The seat in CD1 is open as Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick announced last year she would not run for re-election, instead seeking to challenge Republican Sen. John McCain.
Six Republicans and three Democrats have announced they are running to replace Kirkpatrick in the massive district that covers portions of 11 counties.
A Flagstaff resident, Malnesβ party registration as an independent could be an asset, allowing him to distance himself from an expensive primary campaign in the stateβs largest congressional district.
However, he will need to turn in an estimated 3,900 valid signatures from registered independents to qualify for the November ballot.
By contrast, Democrats need roughly 1,600 valid signatures from party members to qualify for the primary ballot, and Republicans will need about 1,300 signatures.
A state spokesperson said the precise number will be announced in March.
