Unfair for State to Take My Right to Vote Away
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I'm a veteran of nine years in the U.S. Army infantry. My dad was in the military and I grew up on army bases. Both my grandfathers served in the military, too.
But despite my service and more, I do not have the right to vote here in Kentucky, one of just four states that take away voting rights from all former felons even after they've served their debt to society.
I pay taxes, but I'm not represented. Effectively, I'm not a citizen because citizenship means having a voice in government through the ballot box. It just doesn't seem right to me.
I lived in Illinois for the last few years, working as a deputy voter registrar for the board of elections in Illinois, helping people register and vote. When I lived there I could vote.
My parents aren't doing so well, so I'm back in Kentucky to take care of them and help around the house. Because I'm on this side of the border of Illinois, I can't vote.
House Bill 70, to allow voters to decide on a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights for most former felons upon completion of their sentence, passed the House 78-18 on Feb. 16 and has not, so far, been called by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The most recent of my two felony convictions is more than 14 years old, and neither of them is from Kentucky. In fact, if I lived in either of those states, they recognize that I've served my debt to society and I could vote there.
I talked to a few different lawyers here and I got conflicting answers. Frankly, I could have gotten away with registering and voting because Kentucky would be unlikely to compare lists with other states. But credibility is important to me, so I spent a lot of effort to understand whether or not I have the right to vote here. It seems I don't.
I served my country, with due respect, more than any legislator I see that's standing in the way of this legislation. And I served my time for what I've done wrong, too. The right thing to do would be to let me and others like me vote.
It renders moot the idea that "if you don't vote, you can't complain." I'm complaining because I can't vote.
I can join in politics in other ways — and I do because it's important to me. But not being able to vote certainly does make it harder.
Link to original article from Lexington Herald Leader
States - Kentucky
Kentucky News
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I'm a veteran of nine years in the U.S. Army infantry. My dad was in the military and I grew up on army bases. Both my grandfathers served in the military, too. But despite my service and more, I do not have the right to vote here in Kentucky, one of just four states that take away voting rights from all former felons even after they've served their debt to society. I pay taxes, but I'm not represented. Effectively, I'm not a citizen because citizenship ...
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PDA Issues
PDA is organized around several core issues. These issues include:
- End Corporate Rule
- Healthcare for All/Single Payer
- ERA 3 State Strategy
- Economic and Social Justice
- End Wars and Occupations
- Stop Global Warming
- End Mass Criminalization
- Election Integrity
- Stop Voter Suppression
Each team hosts a monthly conference call. Calls feature legislators, staffers and other policy experts. On these calls we determine PDA legislation to support as well as actions and future events.
Kentucky Leadership
For support in organizing within your state, contact:
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Email us at: kentucky@pdamerica.org
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Want to bring progressive change to Kentucky? Start a PDA chapter; send us an email and we'll get you started.
KY Legislators with ALEC Ties
House of Representatives
- Rep. Tom Riner (D-41) [21]
- Rep. Mike Harmon (R-54)[20], State Chairman[24][23]
- Rep. Sal Santoro (R-60); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Joseph M. Fischer (R-68); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Ruth Palumbo (D-76); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. David Osborne (R-59); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. John D. Westwood (R-23); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. Jill York (R-96); Education Task Force
- Rep. Addia K. Wuchner (R-66)[20]; Education Task Force and International Relations Task Force
- Rep. Jim DeCesare (R-21); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Rep. Brad Montell (R-58); Education Task Force
- Rep. Ron Crimm (R-33); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Robert R. Damron (D-39); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force; quoted in an August 2011 Bloomberg interview as saying he no longer attends ALEC meetings because ALEC has “become, in the last few years, so partisan. . . The last meeting I went to, they spent all their time bashing Democrats. I don’t particularly care for an organization that’s so partisan.”[77]
- Rep. Dorsey Ridley (D-4); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo (D-76); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Brent Housman (R-3); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
Senate
- Sen. Tom Buford (R-22)[20], State Chairman[24][23]
- Sen. Brandon Smith (R-30); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Sen. Carroll Gibson (R-5); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Sen. Jimmy Higdon (R-14); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Sen. Kathy W. Stein (D-13); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force - Sen. Stein told KPR-Frankfort in May 2012 that she had requested to leave ALEC.[78] See Legislators Who Have Cut Ties to ALEC for more.
- Sen. Ray S. Jones, II (D-31); Civil Justice Task Force - Sen. Jones told KPR-Frankfort in May 2012 that he had requested to leave ALEC.[78] See Legislators Who Have Cut Ties to ALEC for more.
- Sen. Robert Stivers (R-25); Civil Justice Task Force
- Sen. Julian M. Carroll (D-7); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Sen. John Schickel (R-11); International Relations Task Force
- Sen. Kenneth W. Winters (R-1); Education Task Force
- Sen. Ernie Harris (R-26); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Sen. Tom Jensen (R-21), ALEC Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force member, spoke on "Saving Dollars and Protecting Communities: State Successes in Corrections Policy" at the 2011 ALEC Annual Meeting[79]
- Sen. Joey Pendleton (D-3); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force and Health and Human Services Task Force
- Sen. Alice Kerr (R-12); Health and Human Services Task Force
- Sen. Julie Denton (R-36)[20]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Sen. Tim Shaughnessy (D-19); Health and Human Services Task Force - Sen. Shaughnessy told KPR-Frankfort in May 2012 that he had requested to leave ALEC.[78] See Legislators Who Have Cut Ties to ALEC for more.
- Sen. Walter Blevins, Jr (D-27).; Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force and Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Sen. Gerald A. Neal (D-33); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Sen. Denise Harper-Angel (D-35); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force - Sen. Harper-Angel told KPR-Frankfort in May 2012 that she had requested to leave ALEC.[78] See Legislators Who Have Cut Ties to ALEC for more.
- Sen. David P. Givens (R-9); Education Task Force
- Sen. Vernie D. McGaha (R-15); Education Task Force
- Sen. Daniel Seum (R-38); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Sen. Jack Westwood (R-23)[20]
Former Legislators
Legislators Who Have Cut Ties With ALEC
- Sen. Denise Harper-Angel (D-35) - Harper-Angel told told KPR-Frankfort in May 2012 that she had requested to leave ALEC.[5]
- Sen. Ray Jones - Jones told KPR-Frankfort in May 2012 that he had requested to leave ALEC.[5]
- Sen. Tim Shaughnessy - Shaughnessy told KPR-Frankfort in May 2012 that he had requested to leave ALEC.[5]
- Sen. Kathy Stein - Stein told KPR-Frankfort in May 2012 that she had requested to leave ALEC.[5]
Information from Sourcewatch: