Florida may restore voting rights to 1.7 million ex-felons: So long, Republicans!

[applegrove]

AMANDA MARCOTTE at Salon

https://www.salon.com/2018/01/01/florida-may-restore-voting-rights-to-1-7-million-ex-felons-so-long-republicans/

"SNIP..........


Of the states that swung to Donald Trump in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama in 2012, Florida, with its 29 votes in the Electoral College, was by far the biggest. It's also one of the most prominent examples of how voter suppression efforts are distorting the political system, usually to benefit Republicans who would struggle to win in a more representative democracy. Florida's law bans anyone convicted of a felony from voting, for the rest of their lives. This means that nearly 1.7 million Floridians — more than one in 10 voting-age adults — are permanently barred from the polls.

Now a group of grassroots activists with Floridians for a Fair Democracy and the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition is working to change the law. Activists have been circulating a statewide petition to create a ballot initiative in November 2018 that would restore the rights of those convicted of a felony to vote after they have completed their sentence. The campaign is on track for success, at least in getting the initiative on the ballot. With one month to go until the deadline, nearly 85 percent of the ballots necessary to succeed have been signed by Florida voters.

While Trump's narrow and implausible electoral victory has drawn attention to the issue of voter suppression, for many working on the campaign it's less about electoral politics and more about basic issues of fairness in the criminal justice system.

“These individuals have all done their time, they’ve paid their debt, and it’s the right thing to do," Jen Tolentino of Rock the Vote, which has been supporting the grassroots activists in Florida, told Salon. "Once somebody has served their time, they should have the ability to actually be reintroduced to our community and participate in a meaningful way.”

...........SNIP"

[dhol82]

1. I will wait until I celebrate.

HOWEVER- the 200,000 Puerto Rican’s fleeing to Florida who are registering to vote will make a kick ass voting bloc!
Love it when a plan pulls itself together.

[BigmanPigman]

3. That's what came to my mind too!

[mitch96]

56. I will wait until I celebrate.

Historically you can put it on the ballot and it can be passed but getting it implemented is the trick..
Like legal medical MJ and the high speed train..
All passed and all still waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting waiting and waiting........
m

[Gothmog]

2. The ACLU and other groups have worked hard to get this on the ballot

[ProudLib72]

4. Florida, Iowa, and Virginia felons lose the right to vote permanently

In Maine and Vermont, felons can vote while incarcerated.

There's a big difference between blue and red states.

[dhol82]

5. Which is why there is a movement to restore their voting right in Florida.

Did you read the article?

[ProudLib72]

10. What's wrong with contrasting blue with red states?

I doubt most people are aware of felon voting rights in their own state let alone nationwide. In fact, my state (CO) revokes voting rights until after time (or parole) is served. I thought that was what most states did. I was merely pointing out that the law is arbitrary are there are extremes. What is interesting about the article is that it states Florida law is a hold out from Jim Crow. It makes you wonder how many laws have existed and continue to exist from that era for the purpose of marginalizing voters.

[dhol82]

14. I will agree with that.

It’s just that the article was about restoring rights.

Whatever.

[ClarendonDem]

29. Virginia is a blue state

At least in the last 3 presidential elections. Florida is bluish (purple?). Iowa is pretty red.

[ProudLib72]

41. Virginia is an odd one

You're right about it in presidential elections. State elections, however, not so much. Remember the Northam/Gillespie race that was super ugly? It's the rural west versus metro east when you look at the election maps. I agree with you on Florida. This felon voter business is another strike Dems are taking against the Rs in the battle for clear dominance of the state.

[Sam McGee]

39. To clairfy about Virginia

While it is true that individuals convicted of a felony in Virginia lose the right to vote, that right can be restored by the governor after the individual completes his/her sentence.-- it's in the state Constitution.

This was brought to a head a couple of years ago.

Earlier, our Republican Governor Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli started restoring voting rights to felons who had served their sentences. Cuccinelli -- a hard-core rightwinger who is one of my favorite targets -- discovered that over half of disenfranchised felons in VA had completed their sentences 20 or more years ago. Over half were more than 47 years old. So -- McDonnell restored the rights of about 10,000 felons before he left office.

Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffee signed a blanket order, restoring the rights of 206,000 former felons. VA Republicans sued and the state Supreme Court ruled against McAuliffe. According to the state Supreme Court, the state Constitution requires the governor to restore rights one at a time, not en masse.

So -- McAuliffe proceeded to issue over 150,000 restorations, one at a time. By the time he leaves office in a few days, most of the original 206,000 will have had their rights restored.

https://pilotonline.com/opinion/columnist/guest/article_44d23a8a-4899-593b-9a40-dde072c96f80.html

I'm a Democrat and am the secretary of my rural county's electoral board. We have a friendly lawyer from Richmond who comes to our county for one day every other month to help former felons apply to have their rights restored, pro bono. It's a simple matter of filling out a form and applying to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. We advertise beforehand in local papers, flyers throughout the community, and announcements at churches. Every session sees between four and ten former felons apply for restoration . . . takes a few weeks but every one of them succeeds. We then take them to the Registrar's office and get them registered to vote.

Each year for the past few years, a Democrat in our General Assembly introduces a Constitutional amendment to establish automatic restoration. With a new Democratic governor and Democrats poised to take control of the VA General Assembly in 2019, we just might win this one eventually.

[tableturner]

6. Don't forget to add in the residents who just moved in from Puerto Rico!

I don't think many will vote Republican.....that's always been the case, but more so due to Trump's antipathy toward Hispanics, and especially his shoddy treatment of Puerto Rico. The governor of Puerto Rico has already stated that he may start up a campaign to get Puerto Rican voters on the mainland to really turn out and vote Democratic.

[Blue_true]

30. I wish the PR Governor not do a campaign to get mainland Puerto Ricans to vote for Democrats.

Puerto Ricans on the mainland have eyes, they see how shabbily Trump and republicans are treating the island, they don't need a reminder. I am concerned that an effort by the Governor will just excite the right, the right get an erection when it can view itself as being attacked.

[Tipperary]

7. First of all, I have to wonder how many of them will even register.

Secondly, you have to be aware there may be a fair number of white supremacists in that group.

[Lochloosa]

9. White supremacists should also have the right to vote. It's called Democracy.

[cwydro]

49. Of course.

I think the poster’s point was that an influx of felon voters might not necessarily help us.

[dhol82]

16. You mean among the PR refugees?

Somehow, don’t see it.

[cwydro]

58. How did PR refugees get into this discussion of felons?

Don’t see it.

[Comatose Sphagetti]

32. "...there may be a fair number of white supremacists in that group."

Pretty broad brush there.

[ancianita]

43. They exist -- Dirty White Boys, Florida Aryan Brotherhood, etc. Small, but yes, they'll get to vote.

https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/CR_4499_WhiteSupremacist-Report_web_vff.pdf

[janterry]

8. That will never pass the state house

and if it did, Scott wouldn't sign it.

I don't mean to be pessimistic. But this will take years and years to pass...........

[Lochloosa]

11. Ballot initiative. Change to the Florida constitution.

[janterry]

12. Oh.

Well, Floridians won't pass it without a lot of work. And even then. My experience with FL is living in N. FL and the Panhandle.

I hope it passes (and think it should). But, Fl. is a long and sometimes weird state. What could pass in one part of FL wouldn't get the time of day in another.

So, IDK.

[Lochloosa]

13. The more north you go in Florida, the more south you go.

[janterry]

15. Totally

I finally left (I couldn't take it). I spent about a decade in Tally.

[Motley13]

18. Tallahassee is a college town, they are dems

as is Gainesville, U of FL

both in the middle of conservative majorities. Amazing how college towns see the light.

[janterry]

22. I lived in Gainesville for about a year

Then about a decade in Tally. Compared to the North (NY, MA - and now I'm in VT) it's not as liberal as up here. So, I wasn't used to it at all.

But yes, in the area, those two towns are considered quite liberal. And - at least in Tally - my neighborhood was considered the 'most' liberal in town.

[Motley13]

24. I certainly agree with that

Tally is an oasis in S Alabama














t

[Lochloosa]

19. My home town. One of the most liberal cities in Florida.

[janterry]

20. I worked in the prison in the surrounding areas

Horrible. I have stories to tell . I'm an MSW.

In anycase, I'm in Brattleboro VT now. And we're really liberal.

[Lochloosa]

28. You go outside the city limits it's S GA.

[Motley13]

25. what city is that?

I'm in Fort Lauderdale, solid dem

[Lochloosa]

27. Tallahassee

[cwydro]

51. I lived in Key West for over 20 years.

You can’t get any bluer than that town.

Ah, I miss it.

[Phoenix61]

21. What we affectionately refer to as L.A.

Lower Alabama. I've been here almost 30 years. Doing my best to promote the dem party. It ain't easy but I refuse to give up.

[SeaDoo77]

36. Floribama

[quartz007]

55. Scott won't and DeSantis won't if elected

I hope DeSantis will be defeated by a strong dem candidate.

[Motley13]

17. Rick Scott visited Mar a Lago yesterday

these two are as thick as THIEVES,
The medicare defrauder will probably run against Nelson, I'm sure that was in the discussion.

Nelson is one of the good guys, I hope mid & north Fla agree

[monmouth4]

23. Scott is pretty much hated in my neck of the woods (PB County) so I doubt he would have

any chance against Nelson..

[Blue_true]

26. I signed the petition several months ago.

I also signed the Casino petition. I plan to vote to allow felons that have done their time and stay out of trouble to vote. Btw, the petition does not cover people were felony convicted of child rape or child abuse to regain voting privs.

I am not sure how I will vote on the Casino petition, I am currently leaning against that one.

[ClarendonDem]

31. Curious

Why do you support the right of felons to vote? Some are in prison for relatively harmless crimes, but some others are murderers, rapists, and child molesters.

[pnwmom]

33. Once a person has served his legal sentence he should have the right to vote. The solution

for murderers and rapists is longer sentences, if necessary.

As it is, some states use felony statutes for relatively minor crimes to suppress the votes of minorities and poor people.

[Comatose Sphagetti]

34. It should be, no matter the offense, you do your time and you've paid your dues.

A felony conviction is infinite punishment for finite transgressions, there is no opportunity for redemption once that badge of ignominy has been pinned upon you.

[James48]

35. In my state

Michigan, you are allowed to register and vote if you have served your sentence, or if you are in jail prior to conviction.

The only ones prohibited are felons, in prison or jail, and only while serving their sentences.

Don’t you think it’s a violation of the equal protection clause if people on other states lose their right to vote permanently?

I wish Florida voters good luck in restoring voter rights.

[IluvPitties]

37. I think felons should regain their right to vote

after a 5 year probation period in which they prove they can stay out of trouble.

[ornotna]

46. Define "stay out of trouble"

That's can be fairly broad or narrow depending on what you mean. And five years seems excessive.

[SunSeeker]

48. No. We all "misbehave" but still have the right to vote as citizens of our country.

Voting is the most fundamental right of citizenship.

Incarceration is how Southern racists kept African Americans from voting. I strongly recommend you read "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander.

http://newjimcrow.com/

I think prisoners should have the right to vote. They're still citizens aren't they?

[Comatose Sphagetti]

50. "We all "misbehave"..."

Ain't it the truth. Amazes me how people are against felons voting when in fact many of those same people have committed felonies (knowingly or unknowingly) themselves.

[SunSeeker]

53. Yep, that's why I think not just ex-felons but current prisoners should vote.

Committing a crime other than treason should not and does not take away your most fundamental right of citizenship under the Constitution.

[airplaneman]

52. Yes I agree prisoners should have the right to vote. n/t.

[mountain grammy]

38. Personally, I never understood how the hell this can be constitutional.

[SunSeeker]

54. Me neither. nt

[Rorey]

40. Some here don't know they're eliglble

When I was walking precincts awhile back I met several who told me they couldn't vote. Some were happily surprised to find out they could.

[mcar]

42. I've signed that petition

It's a big push at our local Democratic clubs.

[LenaBaby61]

44. Florida may restore voting rights to 1.7 million ex-felons: So long, Republicans!

That would be phenomenal. IF their votes are collected, not tampered with and counted.

[Salviati]

45. Info about the Initiative:

https://www.floridiansforafairdemocracy.com/sign-the-petition

Where you can download the petition if you are a Florida resident, and donate if you are from out of state.

[lamp_shade]

57. Done.

[Honeycombe8]

47. I hope enough Puerto Ricans have established their residency in Florida. That will help.

That plus felons would certainly change things. The latter is more of a sure thing, if enough Puerto Ricans moved to Florida and register. It's not a sure thing that people will vote to allow ex-felons to vote.