âFlorida, Kentucky, Virginia and Iowa permanently bar convicted felons from votingâ
And we all know why. #NOBODYSFOOLED
âThe law as it stands deeply affects communities of color: More than 21 percent of African American adults in Florida have lost the right to vote due to a felony conviction, according to the Sentencing Project, compared to 10 percent of the state as a whole.â
So, working exactly as designed, eh?
âPeople believe in forgiveness, redemption, restoration and, ultimately, second chances,â Christian Coalition of Florida Chairman Ash Mason said, as quoted by the ACLU.â
Itâs good to see the Christian Coalition be actually Christian for a change instead of being a repository for grifters like Ralph Reed.
Hopefully their members take heed and vote for this.
What a two-fer, just implement discriminatory conviction processes and the state constitution moves voting rights backward on auto-pilot, slowly to their coveted 19th century civil rights.
I think states absolutely have a right to restrict the franchise as part of the penalty for committing a serious crime (although I think itâs pretty clear why most states restrict this, and itâs by no means innocent).
But I think keeping vulnerable (both in recidivism and in socioeconomic status) citizens actively engaged in the smooth and effective functioning of their society is key to reducing those vulnerabilities. The right to vote is not just a right, it is also a tool.
Hereâs hoping Floridians see it that way.
Will believe it when i see it
- you left off ââŚunless they seek clemencyâ which is an insidiously cynical added twist which provides a viable option for those who have the wherewithal & proper connections to obtain a the administrative / judicial resolution of some of the restrictions that are applied to felons - so in plain language - âwhite-collarâ felons with the $$$ to pay for the journey through the clemency process can get their voting rights back. Gee ⌠what do think the demographics look like for the population of felons who have actually achieved clemency?
Tramp won FL by less than 113,000 votes with another ~378,700 voted 3rd party or write-in.
Restoration of voting right for 1.7 million Floridians who were convicted but have completed their sentences, plus the relocated Puerto Ricans since the hurricanes, doesnât bode well for the future of the FL GOP.
60% support to amend FLâs constitution seems like a tough proposition but 2018 is the perfect time for this to pass!
And not only that, but when a governor tries to grant clemency en masse, there are lawsuits all over the place.
But the âby no means innocentâ part is the catch. What do you make of the (comparable?) situation re the death penalty, which has been shown to have been imposed in an impermissibly discriminatory way?
And from the article:
Florida voters will decide this November whether to restore the voting rights of the vast majority of about 1.7 million Floridians with felony convictions who have completed their sentences. [âŚ] The measure wouldnât affect those convicted of murder or sexual offenses, the Sentinel noted.
Iâm not sure thatâs fair. If those convicted have all completed their sentences, on what principled basis do some recover their franchise while others do not?
I might have been unclear - I think in practice itâs plainly discriminatory and probably should not hold up to a VRA preclearance (back when that was a thing) or equal protection in general.
Iâd be curious to know how other democracies handle this (honestly I donât know).
Gee ⌠I wonder how many of the 1.7 million Floridians with felony convictions who have completed their sentences will be voting Rethugliklan at their earliest opportunity? You know, besides Orlando Cicilia, noted bubble dancer Marco Rubioâs brother-in-law with that pesky felony cocaine trafficking conviction?
Funny thing, the districts get to count the non-voting, disenfranchised prison population to boost House representation for rural districts.
60% is tough, especially in the face of voter suppression on top of this disenfranchisement. But if they can pull out the votes just once, that blocks some of the voter roll purges Fla has become famous for.
Iâd been racking my brain for this: Sam Bee had a really great look at Floridaâs clemency process a few months ago: http://news.wfsu.org/post/comedian-samantha-bee-throws-weight-behind-florida-felons-voting-rights
I actually know someone directly who lives in Florida and lost her right to vote in 2006 when she was 19 along with 33 other people for being in a house at a party that had an once and half, 43 grams, of Marihuana. For full disclosure, I should mention that her and the other 33 people were all Black.
What happened was the cops raided the party and charged everyone with a felony. The D.A. cut a deal that allowed them all to plead guilty with the only real fine never being able to vote in Florida. Nothing more needs to be said about this issue.
Any non-prison (qualified to contain the debate; I think prison sentences for the rest of a natural life are generally immoral as well but that is a different question) sentence which extends for the lifetime of the convicted should be forbidden, even if that sentence is as âminorâ as âYou are no longer allowed to ever use the Internetâ. It goes against the general principles of the justice system, serving little to no preventative effect (no one is thinking of maybe not being able to vote when considering robbing a liquor store), by definition serving no rehabilitative effect, and in almost all circumstances serving no definable societal-protection effect.
Loss of voting rights privileges is particularly nefarious, as it has absolutely no effect on the irredeemable, who do not value their enfranchisement in the first place, and inordinately stifles rehabilitation of those who seek to have a positive effect in their communities. It absolutely never should be imposed as a blanket punishment, but only in specific cases where it serves a societal-protection need (ex, someone is intentionally committing voter fraud).
60% is absolutely an uphill climb, and you can already hear the whisper ânoâ campaign - âif you vote âyesâ then you are letting the worst fifth of those uppity n**s negate your vote!â
(Left as an exercise to the reader how âthe worst fifthâ might also be âuppityâ, but hard-and-fast logic is never a prerequisite for such whisper campaigns)
Yikes. Do you know of any news coverage of her case?