Virginia: "There is Some Hope"
"Those who have no concern for the plight of former criminals - regardless of how much these individuals have done to turn their lives around - should know that alienating ex-offenders does nothing more than pressure a return to criminal behavior," writes Brandon Patterson, the director of Resource Development at Virginia CARES Inc. in a Roanoke Times commentary. In Virginia, there are approximately 300,000 citizens with previous felony convictions. Because of disenfranchisement laws, they're banned from voting, but Gov. Tim Kaine has expedited the review process for petitioners with non-violent criminal records. Applicants were to submit an application to the Secretary of the Commonwealth by August 1. If their application is approved, they will be able to register for the November election. "The key to turning back voting laws is to empower the individuals affected by them," stated Patterson.
Kentucky: Governor's Move to Restore Rights "Makes Every Kind of Sense"
Saying they've completed their sentences and paid their debts to society, Gov. Steve Beshear has granted more than 700 "partial pardons" to citizens with felony convictions over the last five months, allowing them to vote, the Associated Press reported on July 29. "The primary goal of the corrections system is to rehabilitate those who have committed crimes and return them as contributing members to society," said Gov. Beshear. The move also restores the right to serve in office, but not to possess firearms.
"Beshear has done the right thing. Now the General Assembly should follow his lead," states a Lexington Herald-Leader editorial on the governor's efforts to make voting more attainable for citizens with felony records. Formerly, citizens seeking vote restoration were required to submit an essay and three letters of recommendation before former Gov. Ernie Fletcher would even consider restoring voting rights. As a result, few Kentuckians regained their right to vote, the Herald-Leader stated. Earlier this year, Gov. Beshear eliminated that requirement and extended the time prosecutors have to protest a petition. He's since restored voting rights to 790 people and denied requests to 56 based on objections by prosecutors. During Fletcher's four years in office, voting rights were restored to 1,098 citizens. During the last session of the General Assembly, the House passed a bill that would automatically restore voting rights upon sentence completion, but it died in the Senate.
Following suit, the Courier Journal editorial board also supported Beshear's efforts stating that, "it makes every kind of sense for Gov. Steve Beshear to have restored voting rights" to these individuals. "Giving convicts a stake in decent society, and its democratic processes, is not only the just thing to do but the smart investment to make."
Tennessee: Voting While (Unknowingly) Disenfranchised
While activists push for voting rights restoration, the state is tracking down voters who have illegally cast ballots over the years - because they hadn't realized their rights hadn't yet been restored, according to the Leaf Chronicle. The article reports that the Tennessee Department of State Election Division actively tracked individuals with felony records. Larry Neal was arrested even though he filed to have his rights restored in 1999 and has voted since 2001. "He had made efforts to reinstate his voting rights and had got confused - it wasn't intentional" said Public Defender Crystal Myers. Neal's case was eventually dismissed, but there continues to be a discrepancy in people's understanding of the policy. In fact, Myers said many of her clients with felony convictions who may be receiving food stamp benefits registered to vote through the Department of Human Services.
Terry McMoore, of the ACLU of Tennessee, is working to get legislation passed to streamline the re-enfranchisement process. "It really bothers me," said McMoore. "We're trying to get the voter rights restored, and it's been simplified ... but that's another felony charge and you have to start all over again."
Pennsylvania: Preventing Disenfranchisement
A panel discussion sponsored by the YWCA's Downtown office of Racial Diversity and Inclusion in Pittsburgh focused on re-enfranchisement efforts on behalf of formerly incarcerated citizens. Politicians, journalists, and advocates attended the event as panelists and attendees to discuss how to better educate the community at large on voting rights, working polls and registering jail inmates and individuals with felony records, according to a Pittsburgh Courier article. " Anything that prohibits the vote of the public should be challenged," said Tim Stevens, a panel participant and founder and chairman of the Black Political Empowerment Project. "Anytime the government starts discussing new policies for voting, it should raise a red flag for society."
Panelists described state laws that allow those incarcerated for a misdemeanor or on parole or probation (with the exclusion of being a resident of a halfway house) to vote. Those incarcerated with misdemeanors are required to use an absentee ballot. "We don't want the most vulnerable to be disenfranchised because they are vulnerable," said Celeste Taylor of the Black Political Empowerment Project. "We must be vigilant and persistent in helping each other."
National: Punishment Versus Basic Rights
Marc Mauer, Executive Director of The Sentencing Project and Roger Clegg, President and General Counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity, debated each other on disenfranchisement in the Washington Examiner. Mauer's argument stated two key reasons to oppose disenfranchisement: "First, in a democracy everyone's voice should count; we should be wary of any attempt to restrict the right to vote based on perceived political views, loyalty or behavior. In fact, there is no evidence that people with felony convictions have significantly different views on defense policy, taxation, abortion or any other issue of concern to most Americans. Voting is also important for reasons of fairness and public safety. People living in the community on probation or parole supervision, or who have completed their felony sentence, are subject to all the obligations and responsibilities of other citizens. They work, pay taxes and support their children. Denying them the right to vote only communicates a message of second-class citizenship."
Clegg's response stated that some felons should be allowed to vote, but be based on the seriousness of the crime, how long ago it was committed and the rehabilitation of the released citizen. "To participate in self-government, you must be willing to accept the rule of law. We don't let everyone vote; children, noncitizens and the mentally incompetent don't. Voting requires certain minimum, objective standards of trustworthiness, loyalty and responsibility, and those who have committed serious crimes against their fellow citizens don't meet those standards."
Nicole Kief, state strategist for the ACLU Racial Justice Program wrote a blog offering an historical overview of voter disenfranchisement in addition to the successes advocates in several states have gained recently. She writes: "Felony disfranchisement's nasty roots in voter suppression should remind us that promoting access to the polls for all eligible voters is fundamental to the health of our democracy."
Florida: Continue Momentum, Disband Disenfranchisement
Contesting a Palm Beach Post editorial which praised Gov. Charlie Crist's efforts to restore voting rights to 115,000 citizens with felony offenses, Mark Schlakman pointed out several misleading claims featured in the piece. According to the Parole Commission, Schlakman stated, the 115,000 individuals whose rights were restored "included about 90,000 cases that date back to the early '80s and about 25,000 more recent cases pending final action by the board. Therefore, the 115,000 figure appears to be at least somewhat illusory." He also pointed out that more than 300,000 older rights restoration cases identified by the Department of Corrections for review last spring were deemed ineligible under the new rules. Schlakman further broke down the administrative process: the Florida Department of Corrections transmits the names of about 4,000 additional ex-offenders to the Parole Commission for rights restoration review each month after they are released or their probation is terminated. The reality is that the rights restoration process must be reengineered to address the public interest and the needs of ex-offenders.
"With another stroke of his pen, Gov. Crist, with support from at least two Cabinet members, could restore the civil rights of many more ex-offenders who have completed their sentences, enabling them to register to vote. Only then will the rights restoration process reflect the fundamental fairness that the governor has been talking about," Schlakman concluded.
Prior to last year's policy change, an average of about 7,000 persons got back their rights each year, according to the News-Press. There are now currently 1,000 cases that come in monthly and 57,000 cases await eligibility notice. Marshall Bland recently received his eligibility notice. "It's something that I thought would never happen," he said. "Now I'm going to do everything in my power to give back to my community. And voting can help." Still, the News-Press and the Florida Times-Union reported many do not know that their rights have been restored, or know about the policy change.
"I walked around with my head down, thinking I can't vote," a newly restored voter, Charles Russell, was quoted as saying in the Florida Times- Union. "Come to find out, it's a totally different story. I can voice my opinion now instead of being pushed back in a corner."
In an effort to continue momentum and completely erase disenfranchisement practices in the state, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) held its statewide annual convention in Tampa, where police, advocates, professors and formerly incarcerated individuals discussed the ramifications of losing civil rights. FRRC is pushing for an amendment on the statewide ballot that would automatically restore voting rights, WMNF 88.5 FM reported. Also in support of reform is Alachua County Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut who is encouraging all residents to register to vote and update addresses, the Gainesville Guardian reported. "I'm very pleased that felons that have paid their debt to society have the opportunity to vote and make a difference in the elections" Chestnut was quoted as saying. "It's imperative for felons to know and follow through in the process to get their voting fully restored."
Alabama: Father, Son Disagree on Disenfranchisement Policy in Op-ed
A father and son battle out the issue of disenfranchisement in a pro-con op-ed featured in the Montgomery Advertiser. Mel Cooper Sr., the retired executive director of the Alabama Ethics Commission supports disenfranchisement while his son, Mel Cooper Jr., president of an online consulting firm, asks his father why Annette McWashington Pruitt of Birmingham should lose her rights because of a 2003 felony conviction for receiving stolen property. "Before you answer, Dad, you should know that Ms. Pruitt apparently is not one of those apathetic (non-)voters you were moaning about a few weeks ago. She really does want to vote and had every intention of showing up at her local voting precinct on Election Day like every other citizen in Jefferson County," wrote the son.
The father responded: "Well, Son, without even knowing which major crime Ms. Pruitt violated, I cannot work up any sympathy for her, nor can I reward her for having served a prison term by restoring her right to vote in any election."
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