Posted on 02/21/2020 1:54:19 PM PST by PBRCat
Michael Watford never got a chance to vote.
After he was convicted of a non-violent felony in Wisconsin at 18, the now 28-year-old was barred from casting a ballot.
But now that Watford is in Illinois — where he can vote, despite his criminal record — he decided it was the right time to exercise his right while awaiting trial in Cook County Jail on a separate case.
“I registered to vote because I never had the right to vote before,” Watford said recently at the jail where 42 voting machines will be brought in during the first two weekends in March — marking the first time in the country a polling place will be available for pretrial detainees.
Cook County Jail’s polling station is possible because a new law that took effect Jan. 1. of Senate Bill 2090 was vetoed by Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2018 but signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last year. The law states that jails in counties of more than 3 million people are allowed to host a temporary polling place for those eligible to vote.
The population restriction for now means the law applies only to Cook County. Illinois’ 101 other counties will continue to use mail-in ballots.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicago.suntimes.com ...
Vote for me and I’LL SET YOU FREE!
Not yet convicted, so I can’t complain. (Well, I could, but who’d listen?)
Seems like they could request absentee ballots like everyone else, who cannot get to the polls. Seems like bringing the voting actually to the jail could have all kinds of corruption play out. But, it is Cook County, and it is Illinois, so I am being redundant.
We. Are. So. Screwed!
Knowing Illinois Democrats the next law they pass will be to setup polling places at all large cemeteries in Cook County. Only to help the gravediggers get to the polls, of course.
Crook County.
Pre-trial? I don’t have a problem with this, other than asking why it wasn’t done before.
Serving terms? That’d just be crazy. Especially in large rural jails where the Prisoners could elect the mayor, council, and sheriff.
Studies have shown that 80% of criminals vote democrat, if they vote.
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