Posted on 10/15/2004 10:35:48 AM PDT by agenda_express
Black Felons who want to vote are crucial to Election
Date: Thursday, October 14, 2004
By: SHERREL WHEELER STEWART, BlackAmericaWeb.com
Felons who are barred from voting by criminal disenfranchisement laws could hold the key to presidential victories in major battleground states, according to a BlackAmericaWeb.com analysis.
In several states where neither President George W. Bush nor Democratic challenger John Kerry hold a secure margin in the polls, the votes of prisoners, inmates, those on probation, parole or former felons could change the outcome – that is if they could vote. A disproportionate number of the disenfranchised are black.
Blacks account for two-thirds of the disenfranchised felons in both Ohio and Pennsylvania and about half of the disenfranchised felons in Tennessee. Those three states alone account for 52 electoral votes.
The analysis, based on data collected by Chris Uggen and Jeff Manza in a report entitled “Democratic Contraction? Political Consequences of Felon Disenfranchisement in the United States,” shows that Florida, with its strict laws on felon voting, has the highest number of blacks who can’t vote because they are serving time or have served time in past.
A total of 256,392 disenfranchised black felons in Florida can’t cast their ballots on Nov. 2. That number accounts for 16 percent of the black vote, according to 2000 data. A total of 27 electoral votes are on the line in Florida. That’s the state Bush won by only 537 votes that year.
The battleground states are targets for both major presidential camps because they have a high percentage of voters without strong party affiliations. They also account for more than 40 percent of the Electoral College votes.
Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri, Oregon, Wisconsin, Iowa, New Hampshire and New Mexico account for 117 votes in the Electoral College. Other states such as Tennessee, Arkansas, Colorado and Michigan with a total of 43 electoral votes also are often considered battlegrounds.
In some of those states, more than 2 percent of the voters are disenfranchised, that could be enough to tip the Electoral College.
“The impact of disenfranchised felons would be greatest in states where the margin is narrow between the Republican and Democrat candidate,” Uggen told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
“Nationwide, we’re talking about 5 million disenfranchised felons, and 2 million of those are African-American,” he said.
The large numbers of black, brown and poor people could produce more votes, especially for the Democratic candidate, he said.
The concerns of former felons can help shift the debate, said Dee Hawkins-Haigler of America’s Families United. The Washington-based organization has linked with several others to help encourage former felons to register and vote.
“They [former felons] are concerned about domestic spending and sending jobs overseas. They are concerned about welfare reform,” she said.
The level of political participation for former felons varies, Uggen said.
“Some are more active politically once they are released and have their rights restored,” he said. “Others may stay away from the polls, especially when they are not certain if their rights have been restored. They don’t want to face the humiliation of showing up to vote and being turned away.”
Some states notify felons when their right to vote has been restored and others just leave it up to individuals to learn about the process for restoring their rights.
The NAACP, the National Bar Association and several other organizations have stepped up efforts to educate felons on their rights.
In Nashville, Tenn., the NAACP went into two Metro Davidson County Jails last month and registered 250 inmates who were eligible to vote. Several of those people had not been charged with a felony.
In Tennessee 6.6 percent of the black voters are disenfranchised.
“We went in to the jail because the NAACP wants to make certain that everyone who has a right to vote has an opportunity to register and vote,” said Margaret C. Scrivens, secretary of the Metro Davidson County NAACP.
A conservative Nashville talk show host accused the organization of going into the jails and registering voters for John Kerry.
“That is not true,” Scrivens said. “NAACP is non partisan. Our goal is to encourage people to register to vote and go to the polls.”
Naomi Long, field director for the Washington-based Drug Policy Alliance, said restoring voting rights is essential in getting former prisoners re-established in society.
In many cases, some of these people should not have been incarcerated in the first place for the kind of crime that was committed, she said.
“You get them back into society and they have to pay taxes. They should have the right to vote,” said Long.
Non-partisan??? Whatever.
How about a new drinking game from now until the elections are over...anytime you hear the word "disenfranchised", take a drink. Alcohol poisoning is just around the corner.
WWWWWHHHHHAAAAATTTTT!!!!!! Thought that if one is a convicted felon, the bloody person loses the right to vote. That's part of the punishment. And the NAACP is one of the biggest partisan (demoncRAT) organizations in existence.
Well, that settles it. The Leftists truly think that we're idiots.
Sure...the NAACP is nonpartisan. And the KKK is just a social club.
Yes, and if my auntie had bollocks she'd be my uncle. So what?
-ccm
Or is that being too obscure???
Well, that settles it. The Leftists truly think that we're idiots.
Sure...the NAACP is nonpartisan. And the KKK is just a social club.
Might as well read:
"Democrats who want to vote 10 times are crucial to Election"
Yes, and if my auntie had bollocks she'd be my uncle. So what?
-ccm
"Criminal Disenfranchisement Laws"
WTF? Is this idiot saying;
That there are laws that disenfranchise Criminals?
or, that Laws that Disfranchise are criminal?
or, that a criminal should not be disenfranchised if they are BLACK criminals? again WTF?
Please, I need more leather Belts, I am out and these are stretching![see tag]
Here's a tip for the NAACP - it you want to keep your right to vote - DON'T COMMIT A FELONY!
They had a right not to commit crimes for which their right to vote could be revoked. They chose to violate the law with no regard to the consequences.
We always hear how blacks are disproportionately held in prisions. The answer to that is simple. Blacks disproportionately commit more crimes for which they are imprisoned. To many in the black community, being arrested, jailed or senteneced to prison is looked upon as a badge of honor, something to be looked up to and admired. Then the leaders of the blacks complain that blacks are sterotyped. They act in outrageous manners and then want to know why they are avoided.
And I have it on good authority that George Steinbrenner is not a committed Yankee fan.
Okay. We are now officially through the looking glass.
Texas is one such state. No states that I know of allow the restoration of the right to own a firearm, however.
Thought that if one is a convicted felon, the bloody person loses the right to vote.
I am so glad that Drudge got to "out" the Kerry Campaign race card where the DNC wants to claim voter intimidation, even if it doesn't exist game plan.
At least now people and news paper editorial boards will have an inkling of what this story is really about.
This is a fundamental question that should be debated within state legislatures. Who should be able to vote. Should illegal aliens be allowed to vote in local school board elections like was suggested in San Francisco California? Should illegal aliens be allowed to vote as was likely the cause of Congressman Bob Dornans defeat. Should convicted felons be allowed to vote? Should those who have been judged as mentally impared be allowed to vote? Should the dead be allowed to vote? Should people who are no longer residents within an area (i.e. foreign expartiates - remember the voter registration activities in Canada and France?) be allowed to vote? Should active military be allowed to vote and if so from where and in what kind of elections?
All questions that a democratic society can decide in a state legislature. My hope would be that voting is a not a "right," as in the bill of rights, but that it is something reserved for those who are not criminals and not mentally incompetent. In other words, I have no problem with denying convicted felons a right to vote.
We deny them the right the excercise their second ammendment rights of keeping and bearing arms, so why should a right to vote be considered more special than a right to protect themselves?
bwhahahhaha. Yeah, I can just see it now. a group of black felons standing on the street corner drinking 40 oz. malt liquers and smoking blunts:
"Yo bro, you see that the unemployment rate raised .25 percent last month due to outsourcing of service and manufacturing jobs?
"asa fact dog, and federal spending decreased two points over the last year, sup wit dat?"
"Dat's some fu**ing bullsh** dude. Soon as I sell these last 10 rocks I'm gonna go vote about this sh**!
"whazzat?"
"Whas what?"
"Whas that vote thing you talking about?"
"I dunno bro but I think we supposed to be doing it."
My view is that the incarcerated voted on the people that made the laws that put them in the prisons to begin with...therefore, they HAVE had their day!
Yes, let's let felons decide this election. They have proved their ability to make the correct life choices. The rest of us law abiding citizens are too stupid to get free room and board from the state.
Disenfranchised felons???? At the moment you decided to commit a crime you lose your right to vote. Felons do not care/respect/follow the established laws!!!!!
What’s next disfranchised Taliban & Al Qaeda???
These black felons is where Jesse Jackson and his minions get their "disenfranchisement of blacks".
If Jesse and his minons had not been such poor role models for their black community, maybe there would not be so many of them in jail.
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.