Posted on 10/18/2005 4:19:17 PM PDT by linkinpunk
Jack Kemp Says Ex-Felons Should Be Able to Vote
By JEFFREY McMURRAY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) - Jack Kemp, the former Republican vice presidential candidate and HUD secretary, urged Congress on Tuesday to require states to restore voting rights for felons once they complete their sentences.
Kemp, who was Bob Dole's running mate in 1996, made the recommendation during the first in a series of hearings about the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits literacy tests, poll taxes and other infringements on minority voting.
Some key provisions of the 40-year-old law expire in 2007. One requires areas with a history of discrimination to get federal approval before changing their election laws.
Congress is expected to extend that provision for 25 years, but the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on the Constitution is trying to determine whether the law should be tweaked.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., stirred the lone moment of dissent among witnesses with his suggestion that Congress should amend the act to guarantee voting rights for ex-felons.
"It's important, if we're going to call ourselves a democracy, that everybody more or less have the right to vote," Nadler said.
Kemp quickly endorsed the idea, pointing out that minorities are disproportionately charged with felonies.
"My answer is unambiguously yes," said Kemp, a former congressman from New York, one of a handful of states that restores voting rights to criminals once they complete their prison term or probation. "It is a restriction that needs to be modified."
Former Colorado Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers, a member of a national commission on the Voting Rights Act, disagreed. He said states should be able to set their own requirements and argued that the number of felons isn't high enough to influence elections.
Besides the section requiring federal clearance for some states and localities to change their voting laws, two other key provisions are expiring in 2007. One requires foreign language assistance at the polls, and another allows for federal election observers to be used to deter intimidation of minority voters.
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Jeez!
Where is the party going when we start agreeing with Jerrold Nadler?
BTW, there is no such thing as an "ex-felon."
I thought there are only felons and non-felons.
They already do. And so do illegal aliens and the dead. It's worked great for the Demonrats for quite some time. It's how the Rats stole the WA election for governor.
Missing the spotlight? Wanting to get back into the game as a "moderate"?
Go away, your 15 minutes are over.
Oy veh.
Jack, are you drinking bong water these days?
If it's limited to those who have completed their entire sentence, including probation/parole, I have no problem with that. It's IMHO good to let felons know that if they walk the straight and narrow they can re-earn the rights of citizens. Next how about adjusting GCA'68.
Well, here is more proof that, if they live long enough, many conservatives lose their minds (see Goldwater, Barry for an earlier example).
This is interesting...
Thanks a lot, for nothing.
Oh, man... and I voted for the guy.
Should they also be able to purchase firearms?
Definition: criminal: someone who has committed (or been legally convicted of) a crime
Question. How does one become an "ex"felon?
oh.
my.
god.
I deal with felons all the time in my job. If they're not in jail they're too busy reoffending and getting high to be bothered with voting.
Should Bill Clinton be called an "ex-adulturer" because he hasn't committed any more adultery (that we know about)?
That dole / kemp ticket in 96 was one amazing duo, eh?
Since we don't have national elections, Congress definitely needs to bud out.
I'm a former felon who has a legal right to vote in Michigan. The fantasy that some people have that a felon can't wait to get out an vote democrat is pure stupidity. The last thing an active felon is interested in doing is voting.
"If it's limited to those who have completed their entire sentence, including probation/parole, I have no problem with that. It's IMHO good to let felons know that if they walk the straight and narrow they can re-earn the rights of citizens. Next how about adjusting GCA'68."
I agree with you.
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