Pennsylvania: Public Service Versus Political Message Debate Taken to Court
The Pittsburgh League of Young Voters and the American Civil Liberties Union were scheduled to appear in court this week after having sued the Port Authority of Allegheny County, which refused to run a 2006 ad educating formerly incarcerated individuals on their voting rights. ACLU attorney Witold "Vic" Walczak told the Pittsburgh Tribune- Review, "While we understand that people may view some of the ACLU's work as controversial, we never expected that to be the case when it comes to informing people about their rights, especially as it relates to voting," said. The Port Authority stated that the ad violates the agency's political message policy. The ACLU, however, said the ad is a public service and does not promote for whom to vote.
National: Re-enfranchisement is "The Right Thing to Do"
An editorial by John Timoney, Miami police chief and president of the Police Executive Research Forum, was published in the organization's November newsletter, Subject to Debate on the new administration's response to both disenfranchisement and crack cocaine reform. He wrote: "I just sincerely believe that this is the right thing to do. I don't think we should give criminals an excuse for not reforming themselves because they are bitter about having had one of their most important rights-the right to vote- taken away. I think it is better to remove any obstacles that stand in the way of offenders resuming a full, healthy, productive life. Some say offenders on parole should not be allowed to vote, because the term of parole is part of their sentence. But my sense is, once you've cleared the four walls of the jail, your right to vote should be restored."
Virginia: Hypocritical Laws, Policies
A Virginia resident wrote a letter to the Free-lance Star stating his opinion on the recent conviction of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. "How is it that a convicted felon in this country must forfeit his right to vote, yet a convicted felon may hold public office and introduce legislation, such as the law that says felons may not vote," wrote Fredericksburg resident Peter Mealy.
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