Posted on 10/24/2004 1:03:54 PM PDT by vannrox
The Denver Post
Felons will get to cast special ballot
Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - Secretary of State Donetta Davidson is asking Colorado counties not to turn felons away from the polls, but to let them cast emergency ballots that likely won't count on Election Day. "The goal is not to disenfranchise anyone needlessly or accidentally," she said at an emergency meeting held Monday, a legal holiday. Davidson convened the state's 64 county clerks after The Denver Post reported Sunday that Colorado's registration rolls include as many as 6,000 state prisoners and parolees who should be ineligible to vote. Records show state prisoners and parolees have voted as recently as the August primary, despite a law forbidding it. Since she took office overseeing state elections in 1999, Davidson has failed to prevent felons from registering or casting ballots. She blames Department of Corrections officials for not sending her the information. Meanwhile Monday, the man who runs the Denver County Jail acknowledged that he allowed activists to register inmates to vote without requiring that anyone check their eligibility. "That's not my job," said Denver Corrections Director Fred Oliva. "Why should I check? My responsibility is to allow them access to someone who wants to vote." The Colorado Voting Project signed up 77 voters Sept. 29 in the Denver County Jail. Project leader Carol Peeples said she was aiming for prisoners awaiting sentencing, who are entitled to vote. But, as Oliva confirmed, no one checked that those who signed up weren't felons. Up to 200 of the jail's estimated 2,000 inmates are felons, Oliva said. Davidson said Monday that Colorado always has had an honor system trusting that those who register to vote are actually eligible. Having said last week that she was unaware of potential problems, she now is scrambling to address the issue before early voting begins Monday. Each week until the Nov. 2 election, Davidson said, she plans to forward to counties rosters of prisoners and parolees provided by the Corrections Department. She said she is asking clerks to flag felons on the voter rolls, but not to turn them away from the polls because the department's lists may be inaccurate. Instead, under Davidson's new emergency election rules, election workers will give voters whose names are flagged "provisional" ballots that will count only after it's verified that they're not felons and are otherwise eligible to vote. The new rules add to the controversy around provisional ballots. Watchdogs recently sued Davidson over policies making it tougher to cast provisional ballots and less likely that they'll be counted. A Denver District Court judge is expected to rule in that case this week.
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Democrat law
oh my god yes....lets dont hurt any psychos feelings....after all its ONLY PRISON they're in.....
The inmates are running the asylum!
The honor system is proving inadequate because the liberals have no honor.
"Davidson said Monday that Colorado always has had an honor system trusting that those who register to vote are actually eligible."
I'm sure that it works very well, too.
"Up to 200 of the jail's estimated 2,000 inmates are felons, Oliva said."
Can someone be an inmate without being a felon? Maybe I need more coffee, or since it's 4:15pm, an adult beverage.
Tis is the future for America is sKerry wins and Clinton becomes the Onan of the UN.
How ridiculous is all of this? Let's lay the wood to these people.
What they deserve is a special BULLET.
Sure, a felony is a serious crime normally punishABLE by a year or more in state prison (though not always punishED in that way). People in a municipal jail are probably being held pending trial or sentencing, or may have been convicted of a misdemeanor, a less serious crime. Thus they may not have even been convicted of anything yet. "Felon" is not sctrictly synonymous with "criminal".
Anyone conspiring to register a felon to vote should join them in the big house. Felons are prohibited by law. If the states are not tough enough to enforece the law, election laws need to be made and enforced by the Federal Governement in all states, equally.
I like the sound of that but, since it make such good sense, it probably won't get past the Clinton judges.
(Except in 39 states)
What is the law in CO about felons and voting?
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