The Sentencing Project: Disenfranchisement News/Updates - 3/14/08

Florida: Advocate "Does Right Thing," Makes Dent in Disenfranchisement Muslima Lewis, an attorney with the ACLU and director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, was profiled in a Miami Herald article which discussed her role in reforming Florida's voting rights policy for persons with a felony conviction. Michael Hargrett, who was formerly incarcerated and received assistance from Lewis in applying to restore his rights last March said, "[s]he's passionate about rights and ... doing the right thing. She picks up on topics no one else does, and she doesn't look down at you." Lewis, who graduated from Barnard College and Yale Law School, left corporate law for nonprofit advocacy. "A lot of people don't want to talk about racial injustices and pretend that there aren't any," Lewis said. "Folks who are living it and experiencing it know." Kentucky: Editorial Sides with Governor, Rights of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals In an editorial, the Courier-Journal called Gov. Steve Beshear's efforts to ease the voting rights restoration process for formerly incarcerated individuals "a step toward fundamental fairness." Last week the governor eliminated the requirement for three character references, an essay, and a $2 fee in order for formerly incarcerated individuals to regain the right to vote. The editorial stated that before Gov. Beshear's move, the numbers of individuals seeking vote restoration dropped from more than 600 a year to about 250 a year. "Such rules have the same kind of impact as the infamous old Jim Crow laws that were designed to keep blacks out of the voting booth," the editorial stated. It continued: "What's needed is House Bill 70, a proposed constitutional amendment that would automatically restore most felons' right to vote. What's not needed is the mean-spirited floor amendment filed by Rep. James Comer (R-Tompkinsville). It would require that felons could have voting rights restored only if they paid the state 25 percent of the cost of their detention." Currently, 129,000 citizens are banned from voting in the commonwealth. Kentucky and Virginia are the only two states where all formerly incarcerated individuals are banned from voting unless the governor restores their civil rights. - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information -- e-mail: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org