After every presidential election there is the usual gnashing of teeth about what could have been done to increase Black voter registration and turnout. There is no doubt in my mind that we can be assured a higher turnout in November if we follow two examples set in Dallas, Texas and Nashville, Tenn.

In 1994, the Dallas Examiner published the names of voters in predominantly Black precincts and showed whether they had voted in the previous primary or runoff. Some prominent African-Americans were identified as not having voted. Some were not even registered. According to Dallas Examiner Publisher Mollie Belt, voting in the Black precincts tripled the next election.

In view of that success, here is my personal proposal: Black newspapers and radio stations across the country should compile and circulate similar lists in their local communities prior to November 2. We still have a little more than two months to obtain the information from local election boards and distribute it in our communities. We must move quickly because of voter registration cut-off dates in some states.

In all likelihood, the next president will select two or three Supreme Court justices. George W. Bush has already stated that he will appoint Supreme Court justices that share the radical Right-wing ideology of Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia. With important civil rights cases barely squeaking by on 5-4 votes in recent years, the appointment of two conservative justices to the bench could reverse centuries of progress. That alone should provide enough incentive for African-Americans to go to the polls in unprecedented numbers. For those who aren’t moved by that prospect, we’ll just have to go the public embarrassment route.

In Nashville, the NAACP and more than a half-dozen other organizations are holding a rally this Saturday to register former felons who have completed their prison sentences.

“The NAACP is concerned with the voting rights of all United States citizens, especially those who historically were disenfranchised,” said Rev. Sonnye Dixon, president of the local branch. “This effort also helps us focus on our work with the criminal justice system as it strives to rehabilitate and re-acclimate those who have served or are still serving time in the penal system.”

The criminal justice system could use some additional focus.

“Nationally, more four million Americans are denied the right to vote as a result of laws that prohibit voting by felons or ex-felons,” the Sentencing Project reports. “In 48 states (with the exception of Maine and Vermont) and the District of Columbia, prisoners cannot vote, in 35 states felons on probation or parole are disenfranchised, and in 14 states a felony conviction can result in a lifetime ban long after the completion of a sentence.”

According to the Washington-based policy institute, 1.4 million African-American men – 13 percent of all Black men – are disfranchised, a rate that is seven times the national average. In six states, one of every four Black men is permanently disenfranchised.

Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee (prior to 1986), Virginia, Washington (prior to 1984), and Wyoming permanently disenfranchise felons unless they are granted clemency. Arizona and Maryland permanently bar only certain felons.

The Democratic Party is in a quandary on this issue. It realizes that it is the likely beneficiary of the ex-felon vote yet fear being attacked by Republicans for being soft on crime.

Those fears are not being raised in Nashville. The NAACP is being joined by the League of Women Voters, the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, 100 Black Women of Nashville, the National of Islam local mosque, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Phi Beta Sigma and the Nashville Peace and Justice Center.

The Nashville coalition recognizes what everyone needs to understand: most people serving time in prison will get out at some point. And we have a better chance of turning them into productive citizens if they are no longer barred from obtaining trade licenses, are not discriminated against in employment and are not deprived of the right to vote.

What’s unusual about the Nashville movement is that they’ve enlisted the help of the Davidson County Election Commission to register the former felons. Consequently, after the rally in Nashville, former felons will be able to go inside the NAACP office, where they will be met by registrars from the Election Commission.

These two simple steps – publicizing the name of non-voters and creating a local movement to register former felons en masse – could mean the difference in who gets elected president in November.

Who is willing to take me up on these proposals?