2018 Called "High Point" in Restoring Rights to Individuals with Criminal Records
"Some 30 states and the District of Columbia passed laws or enacted
statutes aimed at helping returning incarcerees adjust to life in
civilian society, representing a “high point” in national efforts to
restore rights and status to people with a criminal record, according to
the Collateral Consequences Resource Center (CCRC)....
During 2018, some 52 separate statutes (some addressing multiple
restoration mechanisms), three executive orders, and one ballot
initiative aimed at enhancing the prospects for successful reentry and
reintegration were enacted. In comparison, 23 states enacted 42 new
restoration laws in 2017.
The CRCC said the 'most consequential single new law' was the ballot
initiative approved by Florida voters last fall to restore the franchise
to 1.5 million people with a felony conviction."
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Showing posts with label voting rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voting rights. Show all posts
The Laws That Are Blocking 1 in 5 African Americans From Voting
An estimated 5.8 million Americans are prohibited from voting because they have criminal records.
The laws that block ex-felons from the right to vote range state by state. Some individuals that have lost their right to vote have committed serious crimes but in several states a misdemeanor would block you from the voting booth. The issue gained national attention last week when Attorney General Eric Holder called the laws “unnecessary and unjust.” Take a look at the stats below for more details on who’s disproportionately affected by the nation’s current sentencing laws:
Read on...
The laws that block ex-felons from the right to vote range state by state. Some individuals that have lost their right to vote have committed serious crimes but in several states a misdemeanor would block you from the voting booth. The issue gained national attention last week when Attorney General Eric Holder called the laws “unnecessary and unjust.” Take a look at the stats below for more details on who’s disproportionately affected by the nation’s current sentencing laws:
Read on...
U.S. Attorney General: Time To Restore Voting Rights Of Every Person Who Has Completed Their Criminal Sentence
In the United States, some 5.8 million Americans can’t vote because they have a current or previous felony conviction — more than
the individual populations of 31 U.S. states. That figure includes one
in 13 African American adults. In Florida, Kentucky, and Virginia, one
in five African Americans are barred by these felon disenfranchisement
policies, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday.
Citing these figures and many others, Holder called out state laws that block ex-felons from voting as a vestige of Reconstruction-era voter suppression, and called for for states to repeal every law that prohibits those who have completed their sentence from voting. Holder’s address Tuesday morning at a criminal justice reform symposium is the latest in his “Smart on Crime” initiative that has included scaled back prosecution of crimes with mandatory minimum sentences, less targeting of those complying with state marijuana laws, diversion out of prison and improvement of offender re-entry, and a move to cut short the sentences of some drug offenders.
Read on...
Citing these figures and many others, Holder called out state laws that block ex-felons from voting as a vestige of Reconstruction-era voter suppression, and called for for states to repeal every law that prohibits those who have completed their sentence from voting. Holder’s address Tuesday morning at a criminal justice reform symposium is the latest in his “Smart on Crime” initiative that has included scaled back prosecution of crimes with mandatory minimum sentences, less targeting of those complying with state marijuana laws, diversion out of prison and improvement of offender re-entry, and a move to cut short the sentences of some drug offenders.
Read on...
Blacks, Hispanics Waited Almost Twice As Long To Vote As Whites In 2012
During the November 2012 election, Black and Hispanic voters waited
nearly twice as long to vote as whites, according to a Massachusetts
Institute of Technology analysis. New York Times graphs summarizing
the analysis show that white voters waited an average of 12.7 minutes,
while Black and Hispanic voters waited an average of 20.2 minutes:
Long lines in several swing states were a major concern during this election, and the longest lines were in Florida, where another recent study estimated that at least 201,000 people may have been deterred from voting by lines that were hours long. This was in no small part due to Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) elimination of 6 early voting days in the state and other voter suppression initiatives that several top Republicans later admitted were intended to keep Democrats from the polls. Both the MIT analysis and a New York Times/CBS poll showed that Democrats had longer average wait times than Republicans. In the wake of the election, 14 states are considering proposals to expand early voting, including Florida, where Gov. Scott is now publicly supporting a restoration of the early voting days he cut.
Read on...
Long lines in several swing states were a major concern during this election, and the longest lines were in Florida, where another recent study estimated that at least 201,000 people may have been deterred from voting by lines that were hours long. This was in no small part due to Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) elimination of 6 early voting days in the state and other voter suppression initiatives that several top Republicans later admitted were intended to keep Democrats from the polls. Both the MIT analysis and a New York Times/CBS poll showed that Democrats had longer average wait times than Republicans. In the wake of the election, 14 states are considering proposals to expand early voting, including Florida, where Gov. Scott is now publicly supporting a restoration of the early voting days he cut.
Read on...
Supreme Court tests for civil rights
As the Supreme Court begins its 2012 term Monday, two cases loom ominously large for civil rights advocates.
As the Supreme Court begins its 2012 term Monday, two cases loom ominously large for civil rights advocates who fear that the Roberts court is itching to prematurely declare victory in the long legal war against racial discrimination. One, which the court is expected to accept for review although it hasn't done so yet, involves a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The other concerns a program at the University of Texas that allows race to be considered in admissions decisions.
Like the challenge to the constitutionality of President Obama's healthcare law, these cases will test the commitment of the court's conservatives, and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. in particular, to judicial restraint.
Legal conservatives abhorred "Obamacare," and they are equally critical of both affirmative action and the Voting Rights Act's requirement that states with a history of racial discrimination in voting "pre-clear" their election procedures with the Justice Department or a federal court in Washington. Such extraordinary measures to protect African Americans and other minorities may have been necessary in the past, the argument goes, but racial progress (symbolized for some by the election four years ago of a black president) requires an end to such initiatives and a reaffirmation of the ideal of a "colorblind" Constitution.
Read on....
Florida Prepares To Defy Justice Department, Continue Voter Purge
Florida Governor Rick Scott sent the strongest signal yet that he
plans to defy the Department of Justice and continue purging registered
voters the rolls. Last week, the Justice Department sent Scott a letter demanding an end the voter purge because it was in violation of federal law. His deadline for responding to the letter is today.
Although Florida has not formally responded to the Justice Department letter, a Scott administration spokesman strongly indicated to the Miami Herald that Governor Scott had no intention of ending the purge:
“Our letter will address the issues raised by DOJ while emphasizing the importance of having accurate voter rolls,” said Chris Cate, spokesman for Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner, who’s in charge of the state’s elections division.
Read on...
Although Florida has not formally responded to the Justice Department letter, a Scott administration spokesman strongly indicated to the Miami Herald that Governor Scott had no intention of ending the purge:
“Our letter will address the issues raised by DOJ while emphasizing the importance of having accurate voter rolls,” said Chris Cate, spokesman for Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner, who’s in charge of the state’s elections division.
Read on...
Justice Department Targets ACORN But Ignores GOP Voter Suppression
By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. Posted October 23, 2008.
On the eve of the 2008 election, the Department leaks a FBI probe of ACORN but remains silent on widespread voter intimidation tactics.
Partisan considerations still appear to be contributing to the Department of Justice's actions when it comes to enforcing the nation's voting rights laws.
With Election Day less than two weeks away, proponents of more tightly regulating the voting process -- this time led by congressional Republicans -- have gotten their desired response from the nation's guardian of civil rights' laws: a FBI investigation into ACORN, the low-income advocacy coalition that registered 1.3 million new voters in 2008.
Last week, two FBI officials told reporters an ACORN investigation was underway, violating Department rules for disclosing information on cases that could impact an election. The Obama campaign's response was to ask the Attorney General to include that leak in a special prosecutors' investigation of the U.S. attorney firing scandal. No response to that request has been forthcoming.
Read on...
This is what happens when you politicize the justice department. The U.S. election has a lot of similarites to the Zimbabwean election. Tom
On the eve of the 2008 election, the Department leaks a FBI probe of ACORN but remains silent on widespread voter intimidation tactics.
Partisan considerations still appear to be contributing to the Department of Justice's actions when it comes to enforcing the nation's voting rights laws.
With Election Day less than two weeks away, proponents of more tightly regulating the voting process -- this time led by congressional Republicans -- have gotten their desired response from the nation's guardian of civil rights' laws: a FBI investigation into ACORN, the low-income advocacy coalition that registered 1.3 million new voters in 2008.
Last week, two FBI officials told reporters an ACORN investigation was underway, violating Department rules for disclosing information on cases that could impact an election. The Obama campaign's response was to ask the Attorney General to include that leak in a special prosecutors' investigation of the U.S. attorney firing scandal. No response to that request has been forthcoming.
Read on...
This is what happens when you politicize the justice department. The U.S. election has a lot of similarites to the Zimbabwean election. Tom
Advocates Settle Lawsuit on Voting Rights, Historic Voter Education Effort to Proceed in Alabama Prisons
Alabama Joins Only Vermont and Maine in Allowing Certain People to Vote While Incarcerated in State PrisonsLocal and National Organizations Join the New Bottom Line Campaign to Enter Jails and Hit the Streets to Register Eligible Voters with Felony Convictions for Drug Possession
WASHINGTON - October 22 - Yesterday, a settlement was reached between The Ordinary People's Society (TOPS) and the Alabama Department of Corrections, allowing Reverend Glasgow to resume his non-partisan ministry to register eligible voters currently incarcerated in the state's correctional facilities.
The lawsuit was filed after the Alabama Department of Corrections cancelled Reverend Glasgow's ministry following the Alabama Republican Party's objection to his voter education activities. NAACP Legal Defense Fund, under Ryan Haygood, acted as counsel for TOPS in the lawsuit
Read on...
WASHINGTON - October 22 - Yesterday, a settlement was reached between The Ordinary People's Society (TOPS) and the Alabama Department of Corrections, allowing Reverend Glasgow to resume his non-partisan ministry to register eligible voters currently incarcerated in the state's correctional facilities.
The lawsuit was filed after the Alabama Department of Corrections cancelled Reverend Glasgow's ministry following the Alabama Republican Party's objection to his voter education activities. NAACP Legal Defense Fund, under Ryan Haygood, acted as counsel for TOPS in the lawsuit
Read on...
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