Posted on 04/28/2016 8:36:23 AM PDT by GIdget2004
Last week, Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia used his executive power to restore voting rights to more than 200,000 felons, circumventing the Republican-run Legislature and overturning a Civil War-era provision in the state's constitution aimed, he said, at disenfranchising black Americans.
And why would he do something so radical?
"People have served their time and done their probation," said McAuliffe. "I want you back in society. I want you feeling good about yourself. I want you voting, getting a job, paying taxes."
And who would be against that? Well, Republicans in Virginia for starters. They accused McAuliffe, a Democrat, of "political opportunism" and "a transparent effort to win votes." A better question that few seem to want to ask is why laws barring those who have paid their debt to society from voting are still on the books.
Only two states, Maine and Vermont, have no voting restrictions on felons (in fact, you can vote in those states while in jail); Virginia was among four -- the others are Kentucky, Florida and Iowa -- with the harshest restrictions. Compared to other nations, the United States stands out in denying voting rights to nonincarcerated felons.
For a felon to regain voting rights in Florida, that person must petition the governor and Cabinet for clemency, a cumbersome process that can take years. The state has a current backlog of more than 20,000 clemency cases.
In 2007, in a move similar to McAuliffe's, former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist persuaded the Clemency Board to restore, automatically, the voting rights of nonviolent offenders who served their time. During his four-year term, 155,315 ex-felons received the right to cast a ballot.
When Rick Scott was elected governor, however, Florida reverted back to the bad old days.
(Excerpt) Read more at tbo.com ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.