Michael E. Arth on Restoring Felons’ Voting Rights

Michael E. Arth on Restoring Felons’ Voting Rights – Currently, nearly a million Floridians are denied voting rights because of felony convictions. This is yet another way in which our dysfunctional voting system disenfranchises our citizens. Most people in US prisons are incarcerated because of issues either directly related to, or growing out of the racist and cynical War on Drugs, which is a war on the poor, and therefore a war on democracy and equality. Our incarceration rate in Florida is 8 times higher than in Canada, mostly because of drug policy. I do not believe that prisoners should ever lose their voting rights, because teaching prisoners about responsible citizenship and how to be part of a representative democracy should be part of the rehabilitation process. Once a prisoner is released he or she should be encouraged in every way to reenter society and be a useful, productive citizen. Voting is an important part of this process. I also believe that all citizens should have their voting rights restored. I have a bumper sticker that says, “If voting could change anything it would be illegal.” Voting, in any meaningful sense of the word, actually is illegal because we are denied fair elections because of the role that money and our winner-take-all voting system plays in politics. To solve these problems we need to have systemic electoral reform that does away with paid lobbyists and paid political advertising. Reform should also take money out of the electoral process, and replace winner-take-all with ranked …

State Laws Vary Widely on Voting Rights for Felons

Filed under: drug treatment programs in florida for felons

Josh and Katy Vander Kamp met in drug rehab. In the seven … A felon in Maine can vote from prison using an absentee ballot, while a felon convicted of the same crime in Florida, the state with the highest percentage of disenfranchised African …
Read more on New America Media

Florida leads nation in voting denial over felonies

Filed under: drug treatment programs in florida for felons

For the first time since 2003, the Florida legislature this year gave the Parole Commission money – $ 350000 annually for three years – to process applications that do not require a clemency hearing. A recent law school graduate, Jessica Chiappone needs …
Read more on Philadelphia Inquirer

Many potential voters sidelined over felonies

Filed under: drug treatment programs in florida for felons

… potential voters sidelined over felonies. Josh and Katy Vander Kamp met in drug rehab. … A felon in Maine can vote from prison using an absentee ballot, while a felon convicted of the same crime in Florida, the state with the highest percentage …
Read more on Philadelphia Inquirer