82 felons may have voted in state (Wisconsin)

[LiberalFighter]

Source: Wisconsin State Journal

Several dozen felons - as many as 82 - may have illegally voted in Wisconsin in the 2006 fall elections, a state Elections Board audit has found.

The number amounts to just thousandths of 1 percent of the 2.16 million voters who voted in that election statewide and two-tenths of 1 percent of the roughly 41,500 state felons who were being supervised in communities on Nov. 7.

The modest number appears to contradict claims by state Republicans that voting by felons is a much more widespread problem in Wisconsin.

/snip/

"It's a little more than one felon per county," Heck said of the Elections Board finding. "That's pretty darn low."

Read more: www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=129125&ntpid=1

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Making a mountain out of a molehill.

They aren't even sure that all 82 are felons because the felons and voters with the same names may not be the same people.

[PDJane]

1. Next question:

When did felons give up their right to citizenship?

I realize that being Canadian gives me a different perspective, but if you're a citizen, you vote, here.

[LiberalFighter]

2. In Wisconsin, felons regain their right to vote when they...

are no longer in prison AND/OR not serving parole or probation.

[Jackpine Radical]

20. Off parole.

You don't lose your vote when you're on probation in WI.

[John Q. Citizen]

3. We don't even have an explicit right to vote here in the states.

[Kagemusha]

4. There's no federal guarantee of a right to vote for President in the US.

The electoral college system means that if a state really wanted to just have the legislature vote for the President of its choice and order the state electors to vote in that manner, it would be perfectly legal. Therefore, there is only a privilege to vote for President, a privilege that can be, and often has been, denied to felons out of the preference of that state's legislature to not allow felons to participate in the process. By the same token, U.S. senators used to be appointed, not elected whatsoever; if a state wanted to revert to the old method and didn't care about the political cost of doing so, a state could legally go back to appointed senators at its discretion.

Doubtless the Canadian election system was designed with half an eye on the U.S. system with a determination not to allow such local variation. After all, Canada wouldn't have become a country if not for the determination to not be part of the U.S. in the first place. When the Queen rules your "Dominion," you can't have silly ideas like state's rights, so the federal voting system is federal, period.

[bornskeptic]

7. You're wrong about election of Senators.

The Seventeenth Amendment mandates popular election of Senators.

Amendment 17 - Senators Elected by Popular Vote. Ratified 4/8/1913. History

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

[kestrel91316]

9. In some states (like TX), convicted felons lose the right to vote

for the rest of their lives. That's right, sportsfans - there IS no way for them to fully repay their debt to society. They are forever denied basic rights.

I think possession of ANY marijuana, no matter how small an amount, is a felony in TX (or was until recently). As was consensual sex between two adult men. How ya like THEM apples???

[Bridget Burke]

15. You need to do your homework better.

In Texas, a convicted felon regains the right to vote after completing his or her sentence. Therefore, once you have completed the punishment phase (including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered by the court), you would be eligible to register and vote in the state of Texas.

www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/faqs.shtml

Possession of up to 2 oz of pot is currently a Class B misdemeanor, although that might change. For the better.

The penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana could be reduced if a bill in the Texas House of Representatives is passed.

House Bill 758, introduced in January by State Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, is currently being reviewed by the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. The bill would reclassify possession of up to one ounce of marijuana from a Class B to a Class C misdemeanor.

Class C misdemeanor offenders do not receive jail time for a first offense, and instead would only be required to pay a fine.

The current law states possession of up to two ounces is considered a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a maximum fine of $2,000.

http://star.txstate.edu/content/view/2900/

The Texas Sodomy Law was struck down because two Texans cared enough to take it to the Supreme Court. Twelve other states had similar idiotic laws--also struck down because of two Texas men. (And their lawyers.)

[kestrel91316]

19. Things must have changed recently. I distinctly recall a list of

TX "felons" who were allegedly ineligible to vote being given to FL to deny them their right to vote in 2000.

[rec_report]

5. 82 'disputed' votes? Does the GOP care about 75K voter registration cards dumped in trash bin?

75,000 Voter Registration Cards Found in Trash Bin in Atlanta discussed here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2805752&mesg_id=2805752

BTW, many people think that felons should be able to vote, anyway...
It's a pet GOP issue -- a few stray 'possible bad votes' to cover for stolen *elections.*
Polar Bear

:mad:

[demigoddess]

10. I agree, I think it is better that so-called felons vote than have tons of votes

thrown out on the suspicion that some are 'felon' votes. Yes, former felons are citizens too. Unless they are passing out ballots at the prisons and telling them how to vote.

[aquart]

6. Wow. That can sure sway an election.

[raccoon]

8. Hey, maybe Katherine Harris can find a job there! :sarcasm: nt

[wakeme2008]

11. Any how many $$$$$ did it take to find the MAYBE 82 felons

I would bet over a million or two.

[Seldona]

12. There is at least one postitive not letting felons vote.

Eventually the majority of repug leadership will be unable to vote.

[WyLoochka]

13. I don't understand why,

once the sentence is completed, felons can't vote anyway.

[Bridget Burke]

16. Because states are responsible for most voting laws.

Unless your state is Florida & the governor's brother is running for President. If things look bad, despite all that crooked local officials can do, take it to the Supreme Court!

Most laws depriving felons of the vote were written because it was assumed that most criminals were non-white. So it was a good way to keep the voting pool whiter.

Texas lets felons vote once they've paid their debt to society. Perhaps Texans were aware that good old boys (& girls) of all colors sometimes had misunderstandings with the law.

[sybylla]

17. They can in Wisconsin

As someone pointed out earlier in the thread. Once a felon has fullfilled the requirements of their punishment, their voting rights are restored in Wisconsin.

[gratuitous]

14. And when you read this, keep in mind

Keep in mind that one of the major excuses for the dismissal of the U.S. Attorneys was that they weren't sufficiently aggressive in rooting out voter fraud. As Wisconsin shows, this is hardly a major problem in our country, but the political payoff is great. If you can intimidate people into not voting, it's better than running a clean campaign. And remember how the late William Rehnquist got his start in Republican politics? Yep, going down the line and challenging the voting credentials of the non-white faces at a polling station in Arizona.

The Republicans know their political philosophy is not that of the majority of the electorate, but instead of changing their message to appeal to a broader swath of the electorate, they prefer to suppress voter participation of people they surmise to be hostile to their platform.

[PDJane]

18. The right to vote

is not given up here, even when one is incarcerated. Period. That decision was handed down by the Supreme Court before the last election.

We've got a different system entirely. After some interesting attempts at stuffing ballot boxes and the like, we changed the system. There is an independent body that reports to Parliament, not to the prime minister. This body maintains a National Register of Electors, enforces legislation, produces maps of districts, registers political parties, monitors election spending, etc.. Ballots are hand counted.

And yes, we're a parliamentary democracy with, at the moment, a minority government, and a constitutional monarchy. Typically Canadian compromise, eh?

[txaslftist]

21. Felons are probably more deeply affected by gummint than anyone

They should be allowed to vote.