The Sentencing Project - Disenfranchisement: News/Updates 3/7/08

Missisippi: Secretary of State Moves to Disenfranchise More Voters A voter restriction legislation package that has already passed the state Senate and is soon to arrive at the House adds even more prohibitions to the state's felony voting laws, according to the Meridian Star. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann released a statement boasting that the state isn't the first to debate removing all felons from the voter rolls. He said "of the 50,000 criminals which are incarcerated or fall under the supervision of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, only 12,000 are prohibited from voting." Defending his proposal, he stated: "It is time for the felony voting requirement to be brought into the 21st century." State Sen. Joey Fillingane said banning all citizens with felony offenses "will make the law easier to understand." He added that individuals could regain the right to vote two years after a sentence is served - but there would still be exceptions for certain offenses. "Right now, a lot of people sitting in jail think they have lost the right to vote, but really they haven't," Fillingane was quoted as saying in the Hattiesburg American. "This would make it where everyone would understand. It would be an incentive to finish the sentence, wait for a period of time and get the right to vote back." Kentucky: Governor Removes Some Disenfranchisement Barriers Newly installed Governor Steve Beshear has removed some disenfranchisement barriers, making it somewhat easier for those who have served their sentences to vote, the Kentucky Herald Leader reported. Formerly incarcerated individuals will no longer have to pay a $2 fee, write an essay or get recommendations to regain the right to vote. Citizens, however, still have to get their civil rights restored by the governor. Kentucky and Virginia are the only two states where all formerly incarcerated individuals are banned from voting unless the governor restores their civil rights. A constitutional amendment would be needed to change that. "This is not about being tough on crime. This is about treating people fairly and about welcoming back people trying to put their lives together again and become good citizens," said Beshear. The move restores the former policy that existed under Beshear's predecessor, Ernie Fletcher. "This disenfranchisement makes no sense," Beshear said. "It makes no sense because it dilutes the energy of democracy, which functions only if all classes and categories of people have a voice, not just the privileged, powerful people." Currently, Kentucky denies the right to about 129,000 citizens, including one in four African Americans, the governor's press release stated. For additional coverage, see Pol Watchers and the Kentucky Post. International: U.N. Body Recommends U.S. Restore Voting Rights The United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today called on the U.S. to automatically restore voting rights to people with felony convictions upon completion of their criminal sentence, and raised concern that such policies have a disparate racial and ethnic impact and may be in violation of international law. "The Committee remains concerned about the disparate impact that existing felon disenfranchisement laws have on a large number of persons belonging to racial, ethnic and national minorities, in particular African-American persons, who are disproportionately represented at every stage of the criminal justice system," concluded the Committee in their recommendations to the U.S. Government. To view a copy of the Committee's recommendations, please visit: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/co/CERD-C-USA-CO-6.pdf. National: Rate of Disenfranchisement Higher for African-American Women The Sentencing Project has just released an analysis of the rate of disenfranchisement of women in the United States. Key findings of the report include: At yearend 2004, there were an estimated 792,200 women ineligible to vote as a result of felony disenfranchisement laws - a 17 percent increase since 2000. Further, the analysis finds that "given the disproportionate rate at which African-American women are under supervision in the criminal justice system, their rate of disenfranchisement is considerably higher than for non-African-American women." National: ACLU Aims to Help with 'Toolkit' The ACLU has released "Right to Vote: A Campaign to End Felony Disfranchisement," a felon enfranchisement tool kit to aid organizations in voter education efforts. Sample bills, public education resources and opinion editorials are featured in the 72-page resource manual. The document also features recent successful campaigns resulting in legislation and policy reform, how-to tips, and what to lobby for depending on each state's current laws. National: U.S. Needs to Restore "Democratic Expression" On OpEdNews.com, Chris Lugo, Progressive Candidate for US Senate wrote his views in support of reforming felony disenfranchisement laws nationally. Pointing to last year's JFA report, "Unlocking America," and the recent Pew report which found that 1 in 100 American are incarcerated, Lugo points out that America's priorities are misguided and reform must be implemented. He writes: "Limiting the right to vote only further punishes men and women who are working hard to become members of society in good standing, it affects the outcome of national and local elections and is an undue burden on the poor and minorities. It also has a deeper cost that cannot be measured. Restoring the right to vote doesn't just affect our basic democratic expression, it also has profound effects on that individual's sense of self and their sense of identity. It impacts on the sense of fairness and justice of the entire society." - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information -- e-mail: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org