AP: Colorado Court Upholds Ban on Parolees Voting

[GuvWurld]

Colorado Court Upholds Ban on Parolees Voting

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 31, 2006

Filed at 10:48 a.m. ET

DENVER (AP) -- The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday upheld a state law that prohibits convicted felons from voting while they are on parole, a ruling that will keep some 6,000 people from casting ballots this year.

Colorado law denies felons the right to vote while they are serving their sentences, and the justices said in a unanimous opinion that parole must be considered part of a sentence.

The ruling affirmed a lower court's interpretation of a 1995 state law.

The American Civil Liberties Union's Colorado chapter challenged the law on behalf of two nonprofit groups and Michael Danielson of Fort Collins, who was paroled in 2003 following a conviction on drug and theft charges.

MORE: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Parole-Vote.html

[Uppanotch]

1. Heaven forbid that we begin rehabilitating/reintegrating parolees ...

too soon, by allowing them to participate in the most basic freedom most Americans believe in: the right to vote for those that will have the power to pass laws that will restrict our freedoms any more than they already are restricted. No. Can't have MORE (potentially progressive) people voting.

[jody]

2. I agree with the decision. n/t

[acmejack]

3. Perhaps you would share some of your rationale with us?

Obviously you are a strong law and order man, what you would rather gun them down rather than apprehending them in the first place? Come on, share with us some of your reasoning, you must have some thought process behind a cryptic "I agree with the decision."

How much payment to society do you require? What must these people do to atone to a point that will satisfy you? Apparently the this person had a drug problem and more than likely needed treatment, not incarceration in the first place.

[qazplm]

5. Some pretty needless flaming in there

Parole is simply serving the remainder of your sentence outside the walls of the prison.

If you mess up many of the rules of parole, you go back to jail. You still dont have all of your rights, you are drug tested, have to maintain a job, have to report in, in some cases you cant have sex, and other restrictions.

It seems not unreasonable then, to also state that until you finish your sentence, you cannot vote.

I am a defense attorney, I am not a "gun them down rather than apprehending them" persno, and I also agree with the decision.

Especially when parole these days is less about showing exceptional rehabilitation potential, and more about severe overcrowding.

[jody]

7. "justices said in a unanimous opinion that parole must be considered part

of a sentence."

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

I support restoring a criminal's civil rights after they have completed their sentence including the right to vote and the right to keep and bear arms. Do you?

[qazplm]

4. I dunno

its one thing to not allow felons to ever regain their voting rights after serving their sentence, but while on parole?

I dont have a problem with this ruling to be honest.

[MissMarple]

6. How could the judge have ruled otherwise?

:shrug: If you think parolees should be able to vote, work on fixing the law not ignoring it through judicial decree.