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August 5, 2008
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Kentucky groups move to restore voting rights
Recovery advocates joined with allied organizations in Kentucky as part of the Restoration of Voter Rights Coalition in the state capital to call for a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights for felons upon release from prison.
State Sen. Gerald Neal ( Louisville) and Rep. Jesse Crenshaw ( Lexington) announced that they have pre-filed voting rights restoration bills in the General Assembly.
According to Mike Barry, chair of the state-wide recovery advocacy organization People Advocating Recovery (PAR) and Faces & Voices of Recovery board member, who moderated the press conference, “We were pleased with the coverage by many of the state’s television stations, radio stations, and newspapers.” The extensive state-wide coverage (see the links below) educated citizens about the unique voting rights issues that face Kentucky residents. PAR has joined with 16 other organizations to form the new statewide coalition, Restoration of Voter Rights (ROVRC).
Kentucky is one of three states, along with Florida and Virginia, that automatically revokes felons' voting rights. More than 180,000 people in Kentucky are currently disenfranchised because of a felony conviction, according to a recent study by the League of Women Voters of Kentucky. Under Kentucky's constitution, felons must appeal to the governor in power to ask for the reinstatement of their rights, such as to vote, hold office or bear arms.
PAR and the ROVRC backed the idea of a constitutional amendment with a new poll showing that 56 percent of Kentuckians support such a change in the current process. Similar legislation has failed to win passage in the past, but this time around there appears to be good public support to place the measure on the ballot in November 2007.
Some of the media coverage:
Courier-Journal Newspaper Louisville
Herald-Leader Newspaper Lexington
The Sentencing Project