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 …
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Many potential voters sidelined over felonies
Filed under: drug treatment programs in florida for felons
Katy and Josh Vander Kamp met in rehab while they both battled drug addiction. They’ve rebuilt their lives for their children but still have challenges. Josh has two … A felon in Maine can vote from prison using an absentee ballot, while a felon …
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Few Felons Regain Right to Vote in Florida
Filed under: drug treatment programs in florida for felons
The 78 felons who regained their rights last year is “not only low — it's shockingly low,” said Mark Schlakman, senior program director for the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights at Florida State University. Schlakman is running as … The St …
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