Fla. to Restore Felons' Voting Rights

[Rose Siding]

Fla. to Restore Felons' Voting Rights

MIAMI -- Florida agreed to help restore voting rights to nearly 125,000 convicted felons who didn't get enough advice on how to regain their rights when they walked free, officials said Thursday.

The agreement by the Department of Corrections will settle a case brought by civil rights groups. Leon County Circuit Court Judge P. Kevin Davey is expected to sign it by Friday.

About 94,000 of the felons will have to apply for a clemency hearing before the governor and Cabinet, but the rest can skip the hearing and will likely be able to vote within a year, said Randy Berg, lawyer for the Florida Justice Institute, one of the groups bringing the suit.

Florida is one of eight states that deny ex-felons the right to vote unless they take steps to have their civil rights restored by the state.

more.......................

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-felons-voting,0,484563.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[AntiCoup2K4]

1. Of course. Now that they have electrofraud machines in place.....

...it doesn't matter how many ex-cons vote for Democrats.

[SoCalDem]

5. I love it..Electro-fraud Voting machines

That would make a good cartoon:)

[sam sarrha]

15. electro voting machines, that shock the crap out of democrats..

there would be a sign,, 'warning for voters with space makers, dont vote democratic'

[jiacinto]

10. I have strong feelings against this

We aren't the party of criminals.

[Heddi]

23. :banging head against the wall"

Carlos--this has NOTHING to do with criminals. It has to do with people who were denied their right to vote as outlined in state laws.

Would you be so "against" this if a group of 125,000 elderly people were denied their right to vote SOLELY because the state was lax (with nefarious intent) in informing these people how to get registered to vote?

Would you be crying that we're the "party of gray-hairs and pensioners" then?

Jesus Christ! This is about CIVIL FUCKING LIBERTIES---

Stop worrying about the republicans and start worring about AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR A FUCKING CHANGE

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

25. 42 states RESTORE voting rights after serving one's time

[stilpist]

28. Well, repigs are hardly ever criminals.

Why break the law when it's so much easier to just buy a new law instead?

- stil

[Cheswick2.0]

30. Why, are they all going to register Democrat?

good deal, we can use every vote we can get in florida. At least our felons are felons because they ripped off a gas station. Republican felons are creepy bastard white collar criminals, who have everything and still have to take millions out of regular peoples pockets.

Carlos I am only joking with you. But I think you should read Les Miserables and Grapes of Wrath. You will get a better perspective on who the real corrupt characters are and it isn't always the people on the wrong side of the law.

[Cocoa]

32. 42 states disagree with you

from the original post: Florida is one of eight states that deny ex-felons the right to vote, etc.

[Cha]

2. What about the voters who were purged who weren't even

"felons" in Florida? Did you hear about those People?

katherine harris and jeebie were purging voters left and right before the 2000 election that turned into a selection.

[Pallas180]

6. Ditto. Just DEM voters and people with same name as felons but not

how about them? are they going to be put back on?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

9. This half-hearted gesture is a pacifier if ever there was one

Jeb should burn in hell.

[CO Liberal]

3. ...But They Have to Register As Republicans

:-)

[sham]

4. I bet Jebbie is pleased as punch.

"About 94,000 of the felons will have to apply for a clemency hearing before the governor and Cabinet, but the rest can skip the hearing and will likely be able to vote within a year."

That means 3/4 of the felons probably WON'T be able to vote in Nov. 2004. Good news for the BFEE, and Jebbie's got the civil rights groups off of his back (on this issue, anyway).

[Sophree]

19. ding ding ding!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that.

What are the chances of ANY of the non-30,000 even getting close enough to Jebbie to restore their rights before NOV. 2004, if ever?

[peacetalksforall]

7. Sick to my stomach

I think there is anything is NOTHING that makes me more sick than what happened in Florida. The second most sickening thing is when thiefs tell us to get over it. The third most sickening thing are the fraudelent voting machines and the crime it involves.

These thefts, lies, and constitutional crimes are even worse than 9-11 - no matter who did it, because our voting right is our most precious legacy. It is even worse than the killing in Iraq.

I know my case is weak because of all the deaths and crimes against the surviving victims.

I don't mean to start a debate, this is my own personal position on the enormity of the voting crimes.

And I mean sick - literally.

[ex_jew]

8. But still - it's a positive step

I lived in Florida for 15 years and after Lawton Chiles died absolutely NOTHING good happened. To my mind, this represents progress.

[jiacinto]

11. Great--we are now going to be labelled the

"party of felons".

[slackmaster]

12. For every silver lining a dark cloud?

:shrug:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. Carlos?????

How can you say that? The point is once a person has paid their debt, there is NO reason to preclude them from the voting process. Are we known as the felon party in the 42 states that don't practice this draconian law?

[Sophree]

17. Great excuse

to further disenfranchise the voters of FL.

:thumbsup:

[Heddi]

21. No, we're going to be labled

the Party of "civil rights" since this is what it's about.

This isnt abut someone on death row being able to fill out a ballot.

This isn't about someone who's in the middle of raping a string of women pulling an abstentee out of their back pocket and filling in the bubbles.

This is about people who were ILLEGALLY --- I-L-L-E-G-A-L-L-Y denied their constitutional right to vote.

Here's that word again:

I-L-L-E-G-A-L

These were all those people who COULD NOT --- C-O-U-L-D N-O-T vote in the 2000 Presidental Election in Florida when they had the LEGAL RIGHT -- L-E-G-A-L R-I-G-H-T to do so.

This has NOTHING to do with felons and EVERYTHING to do with civil liberties.

STop being so worried about what the republicans will label us---seriously. It's like a compulsion.

We could give free food to the homeless and you'd argue that we're now being called the "Homeless Party,"--- we could give water to people dying of thirst and you'd worry that we'd be called the "Water Party" or some shit like that.

It doesn't matter what WE do---THEY will always find something wrong with it. That's why Democrats and Republicans are OPPOSING PARTIES --- that means that DEMOCRATS and REPUBLICANS generally look at things differently and choose to react to things differently.

It doesn't matter what WE do--they will always paint it in a bad light.

SO---the best thing for US to do is to DO THE RIGHT THING (which restoring the LEGALLY AVAILALBE VOTES to people who were ILLEGALLY DISENFRANCHISED FROM VOTING) is the RIGHT thing to do, no matter which party does it.

Arguably, it's the DEMOCRATS who always seem to do the right things, to fight the right causes, and yet you lambast DEMOCRATS for doing the things that DEMOCRATS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO

[nolabels]

24. Did some one say labels?

Wasn't Florida the first place Columbus set foot in the USA? Slap em on, Shopping for something to paste up I found this for the clip and save. Man, I love my sunday papers :-)

http://www.mayanmajix.com/art_tf.html
http://www.mayanmajix.com/art122.html
(snip)
Clip 'n Save Guide

To WMD Lying
Lunaville.com
6-11-3


How the United States should react if Iraq acquired WMD. "The first line of defense...should be a clear and classical statement of deterrence-if they do acquire WMD, their weapons will be unusable because any attempt to use them will bring national obliteration."

--Condoleeza Rice
US National Security Advisor
January/February 2000 issue of Foreign Affairs
2/1/2000

We are greatly concerned about any possible linkup between terrorists and regimes that have or seek weapons of mass destruction...In the case of Saddam Hussein, we've got a dictator who is clearly pursuing and already possesses some of these weapons.. A regime that hates America and everything we stand for must never be permitted to threaten America with weapons of mass destruction.

--Dick Cheney
Vice President
Detroit, Fund-Raiser
6/20/2002

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.

(snip)

[Cheswick2.0]

31. I don't think that is true at all

However even if we are, the answer is that these people have paid their debt to society and once that is done, they are restored to full citizenship. People can not be expected to stay away from crime if they are treated like criminals forever. Where is the mercy or redemption in that? It doesn't jibe with american ideals at all, or Christian ones for that matter.

[Cocoa]

34. did you read the article?

even just the original post?

Your opinion makes no sense, no matter how "strongly" you feel about it.

[leesa]

35. What is wrong with you? Do you have to wear a coat all the time

with your thin skin??

[demdave]

14. Why do people think convicted felons vote Dem. ?

Is this our demographics? Are we the party of choice for people who have no respect for the law? I don't want child abusers, burglars and strong arm bandits making decisions on the very laws that put them where they deserved to be. I know I will hear from the "all prisoners are innocent" crowd. I say, you love them so much, let them move into your neighborhood. The people I have known since childhood that have been convicted of murder, theft and assault...DID IT.

[Rose Siding]

22. A large % have served for drug related crimes

And they are heavily minority, which are heavily Democrat. Minorities charged are more likely to be convicted when charged and more likely to serve time when convicted.

[mbperrin]

26. No, clearly the

Republicans are the party of choice for those who have no respect for the law. Enron accounting, energy price rigging, illegal bumping of people from voting lists because they have names similar to felons, ordering the assassination of foreign heads of state, and the list goes on.

Remember - it was IRONIC when Nixon said "I'm not a crook!"

[Cheswick2.0]

33. wow, you need a good dose of Victor Hugo too

Please, please read Les Miserables. Do I want them in my neighborhood? Damn right I do, and I want them sitting their butts right dowm in a pew next to me on sunday so I can shake their hand at the passing of the peace. I want to hand them the communion cup. I want to teach their kids in my class. I want their wives and girl friends to join my womens book club.

[Sophree]

16. Question

You guys- Is this article correct in stating that it is actually 125,000 legitimate felons or are they talking about the ones erroneously scrubbed (non felons) ????

[demdave]

18. Having read the article...these are released felons

that were not told that they had to fill out some forms in order to get their voting right reinstated.

[Sophree]

20. I read the article, too

But I thought the 125,000 number was erroneously scrubbed voters. I don't know for sure, though.

[dolo amber]

27. This IS Florida we're talking about...

seems to be of no matter if they decide to let toddlers and barnyard animals vote, Jeb and Co. will just have Big Bro's Supreme Court pals make up whatever results they want anyway.

[newyawker99]

29. Hi doloamber!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: