http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/us/kentucky-governor-restores-voting-rights-to-thousands-of-felons.html?_r=0

 

Weeks before he leaves office, the governor of Kentucky on Tuesday issued an executive order that immediately granted the right to vote to about 140,000 nonviolent felons who have completed their sentences.

 

The order by Gov. Steven L. Beshear, a Democrat, was cheered by advocates for criminal justice reform and civil rights, who said it would place Kentucky’s policy more in line with others across the nation and was consistent with a trend toward easing voting restrictions on former inmates.

 

Kentucky had been one of just three states imposing a lifetime voting ban on felons unless they received a special exemption from the governor. Florida and Iowa still carry the lifetime ban.

 

“Once an individual has served his or her time and paid all restitution, society expects them to reintegrate into their communities and become law-abiding and productive citizens,” Mr. Beshear said at a news conference. “A key part of that transition is the right to vote.”

 

As an executive order, the new policy can be altered or scrapped by a future governor. But the initial response from the governor-elect, Matt Bevin, a conservative Republican, was positive.

 

“Governor-elect Bevin has said many times that the restoration of voting rights for certain offenders is the right thing to do,” said Jessica Ditto, a spokeswoman for Mr. Bevin’s transition office. Mr. Bevin first learned of the order on Tuesday, she said, and will evaluate it in the coming weeks.

 

Nationally, the drive to restore the right to vote to former convicts has gained bipartisan support as a way to promote the re-entry of prisoners to society and to reduce the disproportionate toll on potential black voters, a result of higher criminal conviction rates for African-Americans.

 

I wonder of those that actually register to vote, what the Party Split will be?

I've never really understood the reasoning behind convicted felons not being allowed to vote when freed from prison. Seems weird to be a free man but unable to vote.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/us/kentucky-governor-restores-voting-rights-to-thousands-of-felons.html?_r=0

 

 

 

I wonder of those that actually register to vote, what the Party Split will be?

 

Probably more democrats than republicans if most of them are black.

Probably more democrats than republicans if most of them are black.

You think in Kentucky that there are more Black than White Felons?

 

A recent snap shot of ALL prisoners in Prison and Jail in KY had over 75% were White and 22% were Black.

You think in Kentucky that there are more Black than White Felons?

 

A recent snap shot of ALL prisoners in Prison and Jail in KY had over 75% were White and 22% were Black.

 

I do think that way unless the numbers say otherwise. What are the prison only percentages? Felons are held in prisons only aren't they?

I do think that way unless the numbers say otherwise. What are the prison only percentages? Felons are held in prisons only aren't they?

Nah, many are held at county jails also...DOC pays jails to house a lot of prisoners for them. Currently there are approximately 12K in Prisons and 9K in Jails of that number 16,107 are White, 4,792 are Black, 277 Hispanic, 196 Bi-Racial with 64 other listed.

 

 

Currently 3900 Class D Felons are being held in County Jails

Personally, I don't care which party they register with. I'm just glad that people who have paid their debt to society and have become productive citizens have the right to vote restored.

Personally, I don't care which party they register with. I'm just glad that people who have paid their debt to society and have become productive citizens have the right to vote restored.

 

But there has to be a reason for political gain for Beshear to do this. No person in politics would do this because it is the right thing to do. There HAS to be an ulterior motive.

Nah, many are held at county jails also...DOC pays jails to house a lot of prisoners for them. Currently there are approximately 12K in Prisons and 9K in Jails of that number 16,107 are White, 4,792 are Black, 277 Hispanic, 196 Bi-Racial with 64 other listed.

 

 

Currently 3900 Class D Felons are being held in County Jails

 

Then I am going to say that most will register as republicans.

But there has to be a reason for political gain for Beshear to do this. No person in politics would do this because it is the right thing to do. There HAS to be an ulterior motive.

FWIW Bevin seems to support the move according to the story in the link above.

FWIW Bevin seems to support the move according to the story in the link above.

 

If he's smart he will. That's 140K potential voters.

 

And the right thing to do.

Current Kentucky Voter Registration

Democrat 1,682,393

Republican 1,260,812 (1,400,000 when all of the felons register GOP)

Other 180,849

Independent 70,035

Marc Meredith, PhD, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Business Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and Michael Morse, Research Fellow at Stanford Law School, stated the following in their Nov. 18, 2013 article "Do Voting Rights Notification Laws Increase Ex-Felon Turnout?," published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political Science:

 

"[in New York] ex-felons who are registered overwhelmingly register as Democrats. Of those discharge records that match to at least one voter file record, 61.5 percent match only to Democratic voter records. In contrast, 25.5 percent match only to voter records with no affiliation or an affiliation with a minor party, while 9 percent match only to Republican voter records...

 

[R]egistered ex-felons in New Mexico tend to be overwhelmingly Democrat: 51.9 percent match to only registered Democrats, 18.9 percent match to only registered Republicans, 21.7 percent match to only individuals registered neither as Democrats nor Republicans, and 7.5 percent match to multiple individuals who affiliate with different parties..."

 

Dang it...I thought the GOP was about to pick up 140,000 new voters :isurrender:

Marc Meredith, PhD, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Business Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and Michael Morse, Research Fellow at Stanford Law School, stated the following in their Nov. 18, 2013 article "Do Voting Rights Notification Laws Increase Ex-Felon Turnout?," published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political Science:

 

 

 

 

 

Dang it...I thought the GOP was about to pick up 140,000 new voters :isurrender:

 

Maybe they will in Kentucky. We seem to like to buck the system here in the K Y.

 

And dang....I'm a registered Independent. Not very many of us.

I've never really understood the reasoning behind convicted felons not being allowed to vote when freed from prison. Seems weird to be a free man but unable to vote.

 

It is an old law dating to right after the Civil War that was supposedly to roadblock some of the black vote. It was written by the Democrats.