Comments | ontd_political: Virginia Governor Signs Order Restoring Voting Rights to Felons

screamingintune in ontd_political

Virginia Governor Signs Order Restoring Voting Rights to Felons

Apr 22, 2016 13:57

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed an order on Friday restoring the voting rights of more than 200,000 convicted felons who have completed their sentences in a move that could help the Democratic nominee in November's presidential election.By using his executive powers, the Democratic governor is circumventing the Republican majority in the ( Read more... )

voting, voting rights / voting rights act, virginia, terry mcauliffe

Comments 28

omgitsalexis April 22 2016, 18:12:09 UTC

Yasss VA finally doing something right!

blackjedii April 22 2016, 22:34:18 UTC

hey we've done other things right!!!

like brunswick stew

omgitsalexis April 23 2016, 00:54:30 UTC

Omg are you from Emporia?

blackjedii April 23 2016, 01:32:12 UTC

I am like, literally all over the state.

Northern Neck / Richmond / Blacksburg.

Okay not really.

Thread 10

tabaqui April 22 2016, 19:48:11 UTC

John Whitbeck, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.

"His decision to issue a blanket restoration, without regard to the nature of the crimes committed doesn't speak of mercy. Rather, it speaks of political opportunism,"

If they served their time, they get a vote. Period. There's no picking and choosing. And considering the state and the probably racial makeup of these felons, I'd be willing to bet the majority of them were in prison for trumped up drug charges and three-strike bullshite. I rather doubt they just handed voting rights to 200,000 murderers and rapists (though, as despicable as the crimes are, they, too, get a vote).

screamingintune April 22 2016, 19:50:59 UTC

I mean, I have a friend who has a felony on her record because she did some graffiti when she was 18. It can literally be any number of benign offenses. I personally don't think anyone should have their right to vote taken away for any period of time, there should be polls in prisons imo.

tilmon April 22 2016, 21:04:27 UTC

I completely agree with you on this. Why should anyone lose their right to vote? Even people who commit horrendous crimes are still citizens. My only concern about voting while in prison would be to make sure that prisoners have access to complete information about all candidates, and are not pressured to vote a certain way by either prison staff or fellow inmates.

lightframes April 22 2016, 21:32:31 UTC

100% agree

Thread 5

lone_concertina April 22 2016, 20:04:21 UTC

This has been a growing movement in the voting rights field and it makes me so happy. It's literally the least we can do to begin dismantling the massive lifetime of disenfranchisement of former felons.

tarawr April 22 2016, 20:20:59 UTC

Amazing. What are the arguments against felons having the right to vote? Is it supposed to be a deterrent from committing a crime in the first place? I don't really understand it.

tilmon April 22 2016, 21:01:09 UTC

Bless him. I think that being able to legally take away someone's voting rights because of felony conviction is too much of an incentive to find ways to make criminals of people who are inconvenient. Let's hope this will be the beginning of wave of voting rights restoration.

screamingintune April 22 2016, 21:05:11 UTC

I think that being able to legally take away someone's voting rights because of felony conviction is too much of an incentive to find ways to make criminals of people who are inconvenient.

spot on.

and we need to elect more Democratic governors and state legislatures to see a wave. Hopefully people will realize this and show up more for state/local elections.