Posted on 04/18/2018 5:01:45 PM PDT by MarvinStinson
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D.) will be granting all convicted felons in the state who are on parole a pardon, a move that will restore voting rights to more than 35,000 people.
The pardons would allow Cuomo to work around the state legislature, which has not approved any such measure on criminal justice reform, the New York Times reports.
Under current New York law, convicted felons may only vote again after they have completed their parole or are on probation.
The executive order excludes parolees with certain firearms offenses.
"The pardons following this executive order and all future restorations of voting rights, shall not include rights with respect to the receipt, transportation or possession of firearms as provided by New York Penal Law Section 400," the order states.
Cuomo made the announcement on Wednesday to Al Sharpton's National Action Network's annual convention in New York City.
"I’m unwilling to take no for an answer," Cuomo said. "I’m going to make it law by executive order."
"With active intervention, we can bend the arc toward justice," Cuomo said.
In addition to those 35,000 Cuomo will pardon, he plans to issue a pardon to each month's convicted felons as they go on parole. The Times reports:
Alphonso David, the governor’s counsel, said Mr. Cuomo would issue an executive order requiring the commissioner of the state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to submit a list of every felon currently on parole, as well as a list of those newly eligible for parole, beginning May 1. The commissioner would continue to submit an updated list each month, with each parolee "given the consideration of a pardon that will restore voting rights without undue delay," according to a draft of the executive order.
Anyone on the list would be eligible for a pardon, Mr. David said, so long as law enforcement had not flagged any special concerns.
The pardon would not expunge a felon’s record nor would it restore other rights stripped from them, such as the right to serve on a jury. Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for the governor, called the executive order a "narrow use of power."
Cuomo is in a tense reelection bid against actress and political activist Cynthia Nixon, who has made criminal justice reform a key part of her campaign.
Only pardoning them if they promise to vote Dimocrat?
Oh, no, no, you don’t understand. The governor fully understands if you read their statement. The governor is ONLY restoring voting rights to those on parole. The parole doesn’t end, they are still parolees, but while they are on parole they are able to vote.
He’s making a law to restore voting rights to those who are on parole (except if it was trafficking in guns or a gun was used in the crime... Chop someone’s head off, you’ll be able to vote. Shoot them defending your family, you can’t.) These aren’t pardons, it is simply a new law in New York and I’m pretty sure that that’s still the job of the legislature in New York.
Buying votes. That’s it.
This move of vote buying also points out that Democrats are the primary criminals.
Michigan snapped down on parolees and probationary rules after a few murders. I swear, Cuomo will have some personal skin in the game when a few murders are committed by pardoned felons who did not serve the parole term. He may feel the heat of revenge. All for an election. He is a nut.
i thought mass pardons were not allowed?
Well then, I guess it’s good that the recidivism rate of New York State convicts is 42 percent — 32 percent for violating the terms of parole and 9 percent for committing a new felony. Hopefully they won’t be out on the street long enough to even cast a vote.
There is no effective limit on pardon power. The most famous example of mass pardons was Pres. Andrew Johnson “Proclamation 179”, a mass pardon for treason arising from the Civil War. Jimmy Carter’s mass pardon of draft dodgers was another.
i was thinking of state powers-mcauliffe screwed up in virginia with blanket pardons, i believe they have to be done on individual basis.
https://reason.com/blog/2018/04/18/gov-cuomo-to-use-pardons-to-restore-voti
Democrats will build their base anyway possible. Only the stupid do not see their real agenda and they know they can’t sell their real agenda to anyone. so get more stupid people who just want thing.
I thought it was illegal to buy votes.
Yes, state constitutions/laws vary. Some states don’t even allow a governor to pardon on his own.
I would call Cuomo a POS, but why denigrate poo?
A real despicable human he is
They don’t need “2nd Amendment” rights like illegal immigrants don’t need no stinkin drivers license or insurance ... they’ll be armed soon if they aren’t already!
What would they say if Trump pardoned Sirhan Sirhan?
Are the libtards worried they are losing votes?
With a corrupt, partisan AG Schniedermeyer, he can pretty much do what he wants, unless the people and legislature grow some nads.
Out on parole for raping a woman or molesting a child and you get to vote. Out on parole for possessing a firearm and you are still denied the opportunity to vote. How biased is that? A special snub targeted at those who support the Second Amendment.
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