Posted on 10/11/2004 7:17:13 AM PDT by esryle
DENVER -- Some 6,000 prisoners and felons on parole are on the state's voter registration rolls, The Denver Post reported Sunday.
State law bars prisoners serving sentences or convicted felons who are on parole from voting.
The Post reported that Secretary of State Donetta Davidson plans to convene an emergency meeting this week of Colorado's 64 county clerks to stop prisoners and parolees from voting on Nov. 2. Some prisoners and parolees voted in the August primary.
"I had no idea we had that type of numbers," Davidson said.
"You have to wonder if they're malicious or inept in the secretary of state's office. Every ineligible elector that votes cancels the vote of an eligible elector," said Al Kowicz, executive director of Accurate Mail Election Election Results, an election watchdog group based in Boulder.
The Post said 40 percent of the 6,006 felons on voting lists are on parole or in community-supervision programs that would permit them to visit polling stations. Records through September showed 536 felons registered this year. Some were signed up during registration drives that have added tens of thousands of potential voters to the registration rolls since March.
One problem is that the state corrections department does not send a list of felons to the secretary of state's office.
"We can only act on the information provided us. This particular issue is a matter for corrections to address," said Bill Compton, state elections director.
"We send data sets to agencies that request the information," said Alison Morgan, spokeswoman for corrections.
Gosh I miss the days of the Poll Tax.
If Bernie Goetz had been a cop on his way home, he'd have gotten a medal. Instead he got much more.
The other problem is that once in prison, the culture of right and wrong/legal or illegal, moral or immoral becomes a rough sea of turbulence. Leading a life in prison surrounds you with dynamics which are unimaginable to the average person. If you were a decent person going in with reason and compassion, you will not be so when you get out.
Most people who get out and stay out of prison have as much interest in voting as getting root canal without novacaine. They just want to be left alone and have nothing to do with forms, registrations, right to assemble, right to be heard etc.... They just want to be disenfranchaised. It's the safest way to be.
Yes, it's a fluid situation.
I wonder why the same system that's used to check whether a person is a convicted felon vis a vis gun purchases couldn't be modified for the purpose of checking voter eligibility.
Convictions could be reported as they occur and this info made available to voting registrars. The names of the felons would then be removed from the voter roles, but they'd have to be categorized specially, so that they couldn't just re-register automatically.
As sentences are completed, some sort of certifying document could be issued to the former prisoners/parolees, such document to be presented to the registrar in order to prove regained eligibility.
It would take some time to put into place, but it might work.
When it's illegal in a state for a felon to vote, and that felon votes, is it a misdemeanor or a felony?
Yep......The thugs are out in mass where I live...... tearing down Bush/Cheney signs.
I'm for it.
I also feel that any employee who collects a paycheck from the public treasury should be prohibited in voting in elections. A teacher in a town has a vested financial interest in schoolboard elections, town councils, state legislatures, governors, etc....A policeman or court clerk has the similar motives. A DNR employee has an interest in who will vote on what legislation to further his or her financial gains, not really what is in the public's best interest. Don't even bother with detailing AFSCME voting.
I stand in awe of all the founders wisdom.
Of course.
Of course, it's good to be under the scrutiny of the pajama bloggers!
Yes, exactly...right on down to the stricter gun laws.
Yes, I agree. We need a landslide and a solid mandate
In Florida the vast majority were Democrat. Some (few) were Republican. We don't know how they registered, and quite frankly I don't even know if Colordado requires a declaration of party to register. That is, however, beside the point. Just as we complain about illegals being allowed to circumvent the law, we should complain about this. There is a real good probability that the dems will fight us....and a better probability that they aren't doing that to protect Republican votes! :)
I agree.
Sad because its too close to the truth.
Hmmm... This has got to be wrong. There are a lot more Democrats than that in Colorado.
If we lose, it will be because they cheated and manipulated, and you better believe all hell will break loose.
It is my bet that they will further disrupt the election process with the international observers who, btw, I think have no friggen business interjecting themselves in our election process!
I was pondering, not neccesarily the felon vote, but the voter registration numbers et al just today.
Let's suppose a 'state' has a million registered voters (from previous stats).
And let's suppose the RATS are able to 'register' (a name and data on a piece of paper ... Mickey Mouse, Orlando) another 250,000 .... (Cut me some slack ... I'm trying to keep this simple)
On election day, the RATS 'say' they 'have' 1 and a quarter million 'votes'.
Their guy loses by a quarter million 'popular' votes.
The Pubbies have a million registered and sign up another two fifty thou.
The RATS look at the final numbers and find only a million RATS voted, the Pubbies find a million and 1500.
The RATS scream "DISENFRANCHISEMENT!" ... we had a quarter million more 'registered' ... we demand a recount ... yada, yada, yada.
Broward county all over again.
The truth is, all they ever signed up were Mickeys and Minnies and Goofies ... and they knew it, but they had this planned all along.
Anyway ... that's what I was thinkin' about today.
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