Posted on 08/08/2006 7:43:43 AM PDT by SmithL
To Angel Romero, a former drug dealer who would someday like to vote, a recent revision to state law that makes it easier for felons to regain their voting rights after serving their sentence was long overdue.
Still, the new law might not go far enough, because it will likely end up discriminating against poor people, especially minorities, according to a panel that discussed the issue Monday at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center.
Romero, who said she is serving the balance of a 16-year sentence on probation, explained that voting rights are of vital importance for criminals who've turned their lives around.
"If they're given the opportunities, encouragement and connections, I think that anyone can be redeemed," she said. "They can be productive members of society."
The event was sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union, Tennessee's Right to Vote Campaign, and the Race Relations Center of East Tennessee.
Until May, when the law in Tennessee was changed, felons had to go through the cumbersome and often expensive process of going before a judge if they wanted to regain their right to vote.
The new law, however, creates a uniform process that allows most felons to vote if they have completed their sentence, paid their court-ordered restitution, and aren't behind on child support payments.
Renee Paradis, associate counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, said Tennessee's child support provision was troubling because it could result in some people being barred from voting because of their financial situation.
"That doesn't seem to be the kind of thing your vote should depend on," she said.
Laws that prevent felons from voting have disenfranchised more than 5 million Americans, including nearly 600,000 veterans, and they have had a disproportionate impact on blacks and other minorities, according to the ACLU.
For instance, nearly 13 percent of black men in the United States can't vote because of their criminal records, the ACLU said.
Monday's panel discussion was one of eight "town hall meetings" scheduled across the state to explain the new law. The panel included Romero, ACLU-Tennessee Right to Vote Campaign coordinator Michele Flynn, and Knox County Public Defender Mark Stephens.
Romero, a 29-year-old single mother, said she won't be eligible to vote until her sentence expires in 2015, but she stressed how important the prospect of one day casting a ballot is to felons.
"Without it, they have no hope," she said. "If you say that I can't vote, you're saying that people like me can't change, and if that's the case, then we're really in serious trouble."
Not all felons can apply to have their voting rights restored. Depending on when they were convicted, those felons found guilty of murder, aggravated rape, voter fraud, and sexual offenses involving minors are still barred from voting.
Now, there's a history of making good choices.
Well, to bad. You should have thought of that before.
I am sure rapists & murders would some day like to get out of prison, too.
A convicted felon has forfeited ALL rights to vote for several reasons. One of which should be that the person has cost the state tens of thousands of dollars in warehousing costs.
Renee Paradis, associate counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, said Tennessee's child support provision was troubling because it could result in some people being barred from voting because of their financial situation.
I have to agree with that. Do you think the ACLU would be backing this if the provision read, "...and cannot be receiving Welfare payments..."?
Sixteen years of probation is a verrrry long time with no jail time. Wonder why the judge ordered this.
Does it not occur to them that felons may not vote with best interests of society as a whole?
WRONG! The felons disenfranchised themselves. The law simply controls re-enfranchisement. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.
Corker's a phony and his candidacy will not succeed because conservatives will not come out and vote for him.
Prisons are the biggest potential voting block for dems. It's their base.
I'm a former felon and I vote.
JUST AS LONG AS THEY VOTE FOR DEMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Phony or not, Corker will win, I cant see any conservative sitting at home and letting Ford win. I know too many Tennessee republicans, and as much as they dislike, even hate Corker, they will vote for him just to keep Ford from winning, and I live less than 10 miles from Chattanooga, so we are well aware of Corker.
If the people have sentenced you, and you serve that sentence, voting rights should be restored.
That way repeat offenders can get in a vote or two before they go back to prison.....we really need to politically empower these people a little more in our system.
I assume that along with the right to vote they regain their 2nd amendment rights to own firearms?
*crickets chirping*
If you want them to serve a life sentence, give them a life sentence.
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