Posted on 10/26/2004 9:06:15 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
YOU MIGHT NOT expect that Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) would have attracted controversy with his modest efforts to restore voting rights to ex-felons. More than 200,000 former offenders are disenfranchised in the commonwealth, where ex-felons are barred from voting for life unless the governor intervenes. Mr. Warner has restored the right to vote of only about 1,900 of them. Yet that has been enough for some Republicans in the General Assembly to cry foul. Last week Del. Bradley P. Marrs (R-Richmond) wrote a letter complaining that he was "very disturbed to learn of the breakneck pace" at which the governor is granting petitions and warned the governor not to make restoration automatic. "I believe the General Assembly would look askance at any efforts to bypass its policy-making authority on this point," he wrote.
Mr. Warner is not restoring voting rights as a matter of course once a convict has served his sentence; we wish he were. The governor deserves credit for taking his responsibility to consider these applications more seriously than his predecessors did. He has granted considerably more petitions than any other recent governor. He has also streamlined the process by which ex-felons can file those petitions, and he has moved to clear a disgraceful backlog that his predecessors allowed to build up. But the process remains, under Virginia's constitution, a matter of gubernatorial grace -- not a policy of restoring the vote to ex-felons as a routine part of welcoming them back into society. The real problem, in other words, is precisely the opposite of the one about which Mr. Marrs complains.
Virginia is one of seven states that permanently disenfranchise ex-felons; the others are Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi and Nebraska. Seven other states, including Maryland, have less far-reaching restrictions.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Frankly, if fellow feels he has made great strides returning the community he/she can apply and have their character and current situation evaluated. If you do a crime that results in a felony then why should I give you your rights back to vote, when you have no concern of the laws you have broken.
That's what we need in USA, a prisoner's lobby in Washington. Good grief!!
I respectfully disagree. Once someone has completed their sentence their rights should be returned. If they are a risk then they shouldn't be released to begin with IMO.
Good ole' Warner...I've only lived in Va for 2 years and I hate him.
He pushed for a tax hike on the grounds that we were going to be in a "hole". Well he got his damned hike and not a week later comes out and says that he was mistaken and we are going to have a 136 mil surplus....but hey we'll keep the new taxes anyway.
A couple of years ago I was arrested, trued and convicted of the felony of having a fire arm in my possesion. I didn't brandish it or threaten anybody with it. I simply possessed it.
It's a felony in Illinois and I paid a $1500 fine and probation costs plus the costs of a lawyer. At age 59 I am a felon and that will never change.It was my only crime ever of any kind. I may not legally own a fire arm and if Illinois ever gets the right to carry it won't apply to me because I am a convicted felon.
I am still allowed to vote in Illinois, for which I am thankful.
I have paid for my crime and am still paying.
I heard Warner on the radio news predicting that though Northern Virginia will go for Bush, Kerry might take Virginia because people in southern Virginia have lost manufacturing jobs. Okay, so why didn't he do anything about that in the three years he's been governor?
What is your definition of a "completed sentence"? Is a sentence completed when a prisoner is released on parole or after the end of the time period for which a felon was sentenced?
I am a citizen - see post #5
Just saw your post #8
We live in Central VA and have lost manufacturing jobs in this area of the state too. We have a small engine repair business here at our home and my husband also has a full time job. We have around 100 different customers here at the house and out of those we have only ONE rabid dim Skerry supporter. The rest are very vocal about being for Bush. My husband hears the same from customers at work. In fact in this area of the state they think Bush is a liberal and Kerry is a commie traitor who should have been hung for what he pulled. Northern VA is the part of the state that worries me as they are the ones who gave us Gov Warner. A yankee upstart come in know it all. There is not doubt in my mind this part of the state will go for Bush.
HMMM. I guess I can assume from this that you disagree with me? :')
The time period sentenced. I understand that the Dems are trying to get votes where ever they can and may not be looking for best interests but I also see people who made mistakes and paid the price, released from prison or completing their probation who have trouble returning to society because of the F they must carry around.
I may be wrong but I don't think I should be lumped together with pedophiles and murders.
May I ask who you are going to vote for? For some reason a lot of people think if you are a felon, you will vote Democratic .
This is clearly to make VA a Blue STate.
I have never voted for a democrat.
I am voting for George W. Bush
It just doesn't have a ring of "American way" to it does it?
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