Green Thumb and Pinto Nag sent us a link to NBC News which reports that Attorney General Holder at a Washington, D.C. symposium on sentencing laws made the crack that felons should be allowed to vote;
Holder said the restrictions bar 5.8 million Americans from casting a ballot, including 2.2 million African-Americans.
“Nearly one in 13 African-American adults are banned from voting because of these laws. In three states — Florida, Kentucky, and Virginia — that ratio climbs to one in five,” he said.
Holder called the laws a vestige of post-Civil War racial discrimination, with a disproportionately high impact on minority communities.
The laws were not intended to improve public safety but rather “to stigmatize, shame, and shut out a person who had been found guilty of a crime.”
Um, no, the laws were written so that law abiding citizens didn’t have their vote diluted by a criminal element. So that law abiding citizens didn’t have to live under a tyranny created by 5.8 million voters who have already proven that they don’t make good decisions. If they feel stigmatized, shamed or shut out, maybe there’s a reason for it. Maybe he thinks that those same felons should own guns, I’m sure they feel shamed that can’t own weapons, too. Of course Holder wants the law changed, he’s of the same mentality of criminals who flaunt the laws of civil society.
Well, not exactly a surprise that Democrats believe that criminals are more likely to vote for them than for Republicans.
They’re also the party whose reason for the 2000 Florida recount was that “our voters are too stupid to understand the “butterfly” ballot that our appointee designed and mailed them in advance.”
Even if I supported their platform, I would hesitate to call myself a Democrat, given how they represent their rank-and-file.
Cordially,
Pat
Want to maintain your ability to vote? Don’t commit a felony. Pretty simple.
Only a criminal politician would want a criminal to vote.
It must be hard playing solitare when every card you play is the race card.
LOL, gotta love how the race card comes out. So all of a sudden it’s all about the plight of the African American and how we are oppressing them. Not about how that individual willingly commited an act knowing that this was one of the consequences. I don’t care about the race of ANY felons, you lost the right to vote PERIOD.
I don’t know, seems to me that if they’ve paid their debt, their rights should be restored. The whole point of incarceration is to make a person pay for their crimes. After they have done that, they should be equal again in the eyes of the law.
@5 Thinker, maybe. Depends on the crime, and perhaps a period of time the ex-felon stays on the straight and narrow before they regain full rights as a citizen. But if they voted majority conservative do you seriously think Eric the Red would be pushing this?
So it isn’t about felons not getting to vote. It’s about black felons not getting to vote.
Yeah, the race card is the easiet joker to pick from the pack, isn’t it?
What do you mean he wants them to vote? Surely you meant to say that he want MORE of them to vote. And that sounded like an invitation to me. (And marching orders to all the good little peoples across the country who register voters.)
Well hell, another voting block for the Democrats. Who woulda thunk? I am never shocked anymore at the ultra-liberal bullshit that comes out of the mouths and wee brains of the ass holes in the Obama Administration. If felons are disproportionately African-American maybe it is simply because African-Americans are committing a disproportionate number of the felonies as a percentage of their population. Dumb asses!
This is politically geared to increase potential votes from minorities; many of whom will only vote one way.
And I love how he styles it as a racial issue.
Holder is nothing more than a puppet.
I also do not see this gaining traction in most states.
Also, this article makes me wonder how many felons are employed by Commander Monkress at All Points Logistics?
I can name a few.
I guess I don’t understand why people don’t feel they should have a right to vote, one way or another. I think that is the bigger issue here. I could care less WHO they vote for, voting is a right of a citizen. Sure, I can understand if they lose that right while they are incarcerated but why shouldn’t they have that right back after completing their sentences. I think that denying ANY people their rights is a slippery slope, and I think more than a few people here will agree with me on that…
Forgive me if this sounds stupid….I’m trying to think this out as I write it:
Given how fast and easy it can be for someone to get charged with a felony these days….maybe the real restriction should be placed on those that commit and are convicted of the more heinous crimes.
For example a prosecutor may overcharge a defendant in the hopes that that person will take a plea of a lesser charge…even if that lesser charge could also be a felony, but the crime itself rides a fine line and could be better defined as a misdemeanor.
@11 Also, it already has caught on. Only 3 states bar all people with felony convictions from voting, and only 7 others bar some felons after the completion of their sentences.
There aren’t many crimes that carry a life-sentence. The law in many states is that once your time is paid, you are re-enfranchised. In some states that happens after five additional years. In a select few states you never get back the right to vote. #4 you made two claims. The first was that the felon knew his voting rights would be permanently lost, and second that this was the “end” of the discussion. i.e. “Period”
I can assure you that as an ex-felon (non-violent 17 years ago) the argument isn’t settled or over or whatever else you think. I can’t vote. I blog and try to do my little bit. I like to think that it’s possible my words might influence somebody, somewhere.
One final thing—for the extravagantly sanctimonious—to consider … one day you might be guilty of a felony. Not through some evil impulse, not because of blind-greed. It may happen through stupidity. It may happen through absent-mindedness—as you walk into a school with your otherwise perfectly legal concealed handgun to pick up your child. It may happen because somebody, somewhere, threatens you with harm and you… protect your life and unlike Zimmerman you lose your case.
This varies state by state:
No Restrictions
Two states impose no restrictions whatsoever on voting by convicted felons. Maine and Vermont permit felons to vote, even if they are imprisoned. In other words, even upon a felony conviction, the voting rights of residents of these two New England states remain in full force.
Released From Incarceration
The District of Columbia and 11 states permit felons to vote once they are released from a term of incarceration. Additionally, felons on probation can vote in these jurisdictions. The states that permit felons to vote under these circumstances are:
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Massachusetts
Michigan
Montana
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Probation
Five states in the U.S. allow felons on probation, but not on parole or incarcerated, to vote. These states are:
California
Colorado
Connecticut
New York
South Dakota
Fully Complete Sentence
The most common type of law regarding felon voting exists in 20 states. Under this version of the law, a felon automatically obtains a restoration of voting rights when his or her entire sentence is completed. This means the convicted felon is no longer incarcerated, or on parole, probation, or supervised release. These states are:
Alaska
Arkansas
Georgia
Idaho
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Texas
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Application for Restoration of Rights
Eight states require convicted felons to apply for a restoration of their voting rights once they completely satisfy their sentences. Felons must complete their term of incarceration, probation, parole, or supervised release before they make application for a restoration of voting privileges. These states are:
Alabama
Arizona
Delaware
Florida
Mississippi
Nevada
Tennessee
Wyoming
No Restoration Permitted
Kentucky and Virginia prohibit convicted felons from ever voting.
So most former felons are allowed to vote. Non issue, just another opportunity to play the race card.
Seems like the states are taking care of the issue among themselves.
And it would seem that the overwhelming majority of US citizens throughout history would fall into that extravagantly sanctimonious category, as defined by Jack above, since the vast majority of US citizens throughout history have not committed a felony, much less been convicted of one.
Meanwhile, if voting, as a convicted felon, is such an issue for you, Jack, perhaps you should move to a state which allows it and leave the rest of us alone.
It’s NO secret or surprise that Felons would vote overwhelmingly for democrats. Another genre votes democrat by a 3 to 1 margin, it’s *SURPRISE!* High School Dropouts, another crowd that the left never ceases to kiss up to. Next, we’ll be hearing liberals screeching to allow illegal aliens to vote!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovwxBrIBj1w
I think that Holder overheard his boss, Barrycade, when he said, “That’s the good thing as president, I can do whatever I want”. Eric probably thinks he can just substitute Attorney General for president.
@19. You mean the illegals don’t line up with the felons to vote now?
Convicted felons cannot vote. Felons. Period. Felons of any color race creed or religion. The word felon does not specify anything but felon. You pissed away your right to elect anyone when you elected to commit a felony. That was your last shot at an election.
Huh…I guess if you don’t want to have your voting rights, 2nd Amendment rights, etc., taken away from you,
STOP BREAKING THE LAW, ASSHOLE!!!!
They should. Most felons should have their rights restored when their sentence is complete. I also suggest the book Three Felonies a Day. Eye opening.
Common Sense, you do good work.
We had a felon with his voting rights “restored” sitting outside of the courthouse with a bullhorn during the 2012 General Election telling early voters on their way in to “vote for a black president and a black mayor.” He was legal with regards to Arkansas voting laws. Seemed to me his race-based rants were a violation of Title VII of the U.S. Code since he was telling people to make a decision based on race. I filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. My time would have been better spent conducting close order drill for our two cats.
@23 – “Liar, Liar”, right? Same quote I was tempted to make.
I have always wondered – I keep reading about how high the black prison population is compared to the total number in the country, and have wondered when someone will ever honestly look at all the stats – how many arrests for serious crimes committed by race, etc – I know there are factors like socioeconomic factors involved, but I have known and served with tons of blacks, hispanics etc. who committed no crimes and led honest lives. Seems to me the folks who go to prison committed crimes, which they seem to have gone out of their way to commit.
Notice how Holder ignored the far larger number of non-blacks who are similarly disenfranchised? There are 50% MORE of them.
Usually, for every felony a person commits, there are several for which they are never charged, tried, or convicted, which is why “Three Strikes” laws have in fact been pretty damned effective.
This from a man whose only claim to fame is that he was the Bag Man for Clinton’s Pardons scam. He delivered the cash from the Rich case and set up the Porto Rican bombers clemency so Hillary could get the Hispanic vote in New York. He has the worst memory in history and has proved it several times in testimony before Congress. He is a lying piece of shit and we all know it. Credibility Zero.
We allow unconvicted crimianals to vote. We even alow conservatives and republicans to vote like the coke brothers and rush limbo. Convicted felons are certainly no worse then a coke brother.
@29.
Are you allowed to vote?
No–voting rights are also denied to those judged mentally incompetent.
Holder wants felons to vote.
But I don’t want Holder to vote, so who gives a flying fart in space what he wants?
I wanna party with VWP some time. Every time I read one of his posts I imagine a 70 year old dirty smelly homeless man still wearing BDU’s and holding a bottle of Boones Farm and yelling things at strangers. I bet he’s a blast at a party, you’d have stories for weeks because of him.
@30 I vote every electon and my vote cancels out your vote! Also 3,000 american citizans minority kids turned 18 today (voting age) add non-voting dreamers it 4,000 a day and they will vote democrat too! Today republicans say no amnesty for illegals soon they will say no amnesty for republicans! They will be the new illegals!
^^^^^^^
That. That is what I’m talking about. That level of crazy has GOT to be awesome at a party.
Yeah, see, that’s the vwpussypants we all know and detest.
40 years ago what should have been a trespassing charge was manipulated by the powers into a felony. convicted, suspend sentence and probation. The state of NC restores rights after sentencing is complete. Thank God they are not as backwoods as most of the responses. With my felony and a waiver joined the military in 1976. Retired after 22 years. If it was up to individuals like most of the post I would never be able to vote, own a gun or even provide a living for myself or family. The only difference between me and you is I was caught. I would put my record of truthfulness, honesty, and the wellbeing of my fellow citizens on the line against anyone that would like to challenge me. By the way, register republican since 72.
@37,
No the difference is I NEVER commited a felony. Your circumstances may very, and I’m sure that in your case you have made ammends. In my opionion, once you commit a felony at a minimum you should have to petitionto get your right to vote and own a firearm back.
People that have hit a bump in the road, like in your case will have no problem getting reenstated. If someone is too apathetic to try to get their right to own a firearm or vote back, then they shouldnt be trusted to vote anyway.