States Are Growing More Lenient in Allowing Felons to Vote

[carzen]

Legislatures in 16 states have loosened voting restrictions on felons over the last decade, according to a new report, a trend hailed by some rights advocates as a step toward democratic principles and fairness, especially for black Americans.

Because of their high incarceration rate, blacks are most affected by the voting bans that vary widely among the states, with many barring current inmates and parolees from voting until they have fulfilled their sentences, and some barring felons for life.

In recent years, Iowa, Nebraska and New Mexico have repealed their lifetime bans on voting by people who have been convicted of felonies, and several other states made it easier for freed prisoners or those on probation to vote, according to the report, issued yesterday by the Sentencing Project, a liberal advocacy group in Washington.

The recent changes have restored voting rights to more than 600,000 individuals, the report said. But because the country’s prison population has continued to rise, a record number of Americans, 5.3 million, are still denied the vote because of criminal records, it concluded.



http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/us/12felons.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[wakeme2008]

1. But Florida under Jeb has made it harder

Who would have thonk :grr:

[William769]

8. Florida has in place to have Inmates rights restored.

the process is begun while they are still incarcerated. Can you please direct me to where you got your information from?

[Lars39]

9. Here's details from Greg Palast:

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:tc5b-XI2GmkJ:gregpalast.com/detail.cfm%3Fartid%3D27%26row%3D2+Jeb+Bush+felons+voting+rolls&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a

[William769]

10. After reading that article, it seems to me that Jeb Bush is to blame

Not Florida. I believe if this was as bad as the article has made it out to be, a court challange would rectify the problem. As I stated in another post here, I spent my adult life working with DOC and one of the first things I would advise a newly released inmate to do was ensure his civil rights have been restored.

ON EDIT: thanks for the link.

[Lars39]

12. The courts ruled, the purging continued.

iirc, the situation still hasn't been fixed.

[Lars39]

17. Here's a pertinent thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2380202

[wakeme2008]

15. He has cut the staff of the office and other things

read

http://www.righttovote.org/dynamic/textitems/472_UFile.htm

[SteppingRazor]

2. I can understand removing voting rights while one is incarcerated...

but this banning all ex-cons from ever voting against is just absurd, IMHO.

[BattyDem]

3. I totally agree

They did the crime and they served the time ... why aren't they allowed to vote? That doesn't make sense. They PAID their debt to society!

[Greeby]

4. As Greg Palast always says - they committed the ultimate crime in America

VWB - Voting While Black

[roseBudd]

16. Banning while incarcerated cost $0.00 to implement, Jeb spent $3million

to purge for 2000 alone.

[William769]

5. As someone who is retired from the Florida Dept of Corrections

I believe that once an inmate is released he should have all of his civil liberties reinstated with the exception of the use of firearms (depending on his felony).

[beyurslf]

6. If it is safe for them to be my neighbor, why can't they vote?

[Lars39]

7. The word 'lenient' seems to imply that a favor is being done for them,

instead of them lawfully regaining their right to vote.

[Porcupine]

11. The Felony lists get longer and longer. US= Prison Nation

if you don't believe it look at the incarceration rates of the US vs. any other first world nation. Then look at how hard it is to leave the US and get permanent residency somewhere else if you aren't rich.

Every year legislatures classify a larger number of crimes as felonies. This is to keep the prison-industrial complex happy. We are no safer.

[w4rma]

13. "ex-felons" is the correct term. People aren't felons after they are done

serving their sentence.

Authoritarians like to confuse this point and combine those who are serving with those who have served.

[bluestateguy]

14. ex-felons

Youy are not a felon anymore once you have completed your sentence, hence, your civil rights should be restored.

[greeneyedboy]

18. exactly. they have paid their debt to society, period.

[retread]

19. The felons in office are the ones that worry me. n/t

[seasat]

20. These were orginally part of the Jim Crowe laws.

They took away a felon's right to vote since African-Americans were more likely to be charged with a felony in those days. It is time to get rid of these racist laws once and for all.

[HuffleClaw]

21. i don't understand why they'd lose such an essential right at all

seems a gross violation of their rights.

[Ilsa]

22. The folks running the states are desperate to get voters to turn

the bums and pedophiles and criminals out of congress. But that is just my speculation.