Senate Republicans who agree with former Sen. Rick Santorum — that disenfranchising felons had an unfair disparate impact on African-American communities — have an opportunity to take a stand by backing a bill introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) back in December.
The Democracy Restoration Act would create a uniform standard for voting in federal elections and replace the patchwork of state laws currently on the books. It’s backed by the American Civil Liberties Union. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) introduced the House version of the bill last year.
Santorum went after Mitt Romney during Monday night’s Fox News debate for an ad sponsored by Restore Our Future (a “super PAC” backing Romney) that showed an individual in a bright orange prison outfit along with the claim that Santorum “voted to let convicted felons vote.”
“This is a huge deal in the African-American community because we have very high rates of incarceration, disproportionately high rates, particularly with drug crimes in the African-American community,” Santorum said. He asked Romney if he supported allowing felons to have their rights restored, and Romney answered that violent felons should never be able to vote.
“Very interesting you should say that, because in the state of Massachusetts when you were governor, the law was that not only could violent felons vote after they exhausted their sentences, but they could vote while they were on probation and parole, which was a more liberal position that I took when I voted for the bill in Congress,” Santorum responded.
Until recently, legislation to ease criminal disenfrancisement laws had been moving forward with bipartisan support, according to the ACLU’s Deborah J. Vagins.
“Between 1997 and 2009, 16 Republican governors in 12 states approved policies that relaxed voting prohibitions applicable to people with criminal records,” Vagins wrote. “But in the 2011 legislative season, we saw a variety of voting restrictions introduced in more than 30 states, and 16 states advanced measures that would create more barriers to voting, including a rollback of enfranchisement rights in Florida and Iowa.”
Another ACLU official said that their initiatives to restore the voting rights of felons have gotten support from a “wide range” of individuals.
“I do know that we have gotten some Republican support in this area,” Nancy Abudu, a senior staff counsel at the ACLU, told TPM. “Notably, Charlie Chris helped to streamline he rules for restoring people’s right to vote in Florida. Rick Scott, unfortunately, overturned that decision and so we’re back to thousands of people on the waiting list, inconsistency and confusion in terms of people trying to get their rights restored.”
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
Ron Paul on drugs/foreign wars, Santorum on this and a few other issues, Perry somewhat sane on aliens and even Newt bringing up Mitt's anti-worker policies (Chris Hayes flagged the issue for me) ... Republicans are right at times. Just not anywhere enough with this bunch to be credible. Huntsman, e.g., looked okay and then he had to do his suck-up to Mitt routine after reaming him repeatedly. Lame-o.
On this issue, he's just being consistent to his moral views as to redemption just as last time around we had someone willing to help the poor like his God says is good policy. Santorum has some twisted views, but his religion isn't all bad.
I guess even a stopped watch is right twice a day: http://lawblog.legalmatch.com/2012/01/17/prisoners...
Santorum and the ACLU on the same side is only as "end of days-ish" if you follow the media narrative of left versus right, all the time, never allowed to variate. It's a bold position and I'm glad it's actually getting attention. What we do to felons and the criminal justice complex is truly awful. Spell check, Mr. Reilly - Charlie Crist was the Governor in the last paragraph.
centercut
no matter the race. what felons do to the rest of us is far worse then anything we may do to them. that said i believe once they have served their time, and are off parole and probation they should be allowed to vote. yes, i look forward to the day that sirhan sirhan or charlie manson can go to the polls with you and your family . too bad john wayne gacy and gary gilmor are dead, they could have joined you.
This is an issue I have some very strong feelings about. When a person commits a crime they are punished. The go to jail/prison sometimes probation/parole sometimes all of them. What ever the final outcome then they are deemed to have served their debt to society. Yet in many real ways society continues to extract it's pound of flesh for the violation. The become "less than" a citizen of this country losing many of their rights FOREVER in some states. A life sentence for selling 10 bucks worth of pot seems a rather draconian sentence. Additionally they find it MUCH more difficult to find work. This inability is one of the reasons there is high repeat offender rates. If you can't find work because you have a record then what are you suppose to do to earn money?
At some point in time we as a society need to say that felons have paid their debt to society and revise this current system that sets "life sentences" for many of the punishments.
Friction In some states people with drug convictions cannot even receive food stamps. It's practically an invitation--no, a mandate!--to re-offend.
Friction this is exactly what I wanted to say....exactly when does the punishment end...and then to get voting rights back (Fl) only to possibly get them yanked away again? The criminal justice system, society, and the government and its runners suck.
Typo in this article. Should be Charlie Crist.
Holding vast numbers of crazy ideas does not preclude having some good ones. And by the same token, having a good idea does nothing to validate all of the crazy ones.
BTW - Romney's "violent felon" dodge is an old favorite of the police-prison complex. You would be amazed at what gets defined as being "violent". For example burglary of an unoccupied residential dwelling is in many locales a "violent crime".
Maybe the Right finally figured out that voter disenfranchisement also affects the Aryan Nations/Racist Skinhead/Gun Nut Militia/Pro-Life Assassin vote too.
And maybe next, they figure out that its not just Democrats who are uninsured, facing bankruptcy, on Welfare/Food Stamps and collecting Unemployment, too. I’m not holding my breath on this one though.
"End of Days" and "Santorum."
That does NOT sound good.
DF2691 I'm pretty sure it's in Revelations, though there may have been a translation issue. It's not all fire.
I wish these Repubs were more concerned with conservative judges in the south and west reinstating the gun rights of people who lost those rights because of very real and serioos mental health issues, without those judges even asking for a clinical assessemnt of the person's current state of mind to be done, or bothering to read them if any were done. This is a story that is not getting much play in the press, but it is going to emerge as a big story, mark my words
Santorum and a prisoners right to vote. Rick keeps digging that hole deeper and deeper for himself. There is a common thread here. Perhaps he should have and counselling session with Ted Haggard to help resolve these "issues." Invite "Dr." Marcus, who, in concert with "Rev" Ted, can help drive those problems from Rick forever.
The disenfranchisement of Florida voters misidentified as convicted felons may have been enough to swing the 2000 presidential election. I understand the system's been overhauled since then, but if felons aren't disenfranchised for life (and especially if they aren't disenfranchised at all), the problem becomes considerably smaller in the first place.
Not "may have". data show that it was
Some Republicans might be supporting felony enfranchisement because of the number of political felons in their party...
Not only do I think people with previous felony convictions should vote, I think people in prison should vote too. Serving time for committing a crime doesn't mean you shouldn't have your say as a citizen as well, and letting prisoners vote would go a long way to rehabilitating them because it shows that the system still notices them at least a little bit.
Flying Squid Doing that would make one or two Republicans nervous, given that a classic bit of district pork is to locate prisons (state and federal) near poor rural communities. Plus, prisoners are counted when apportioning districts, but you don't have to worry about them voting against you.
pseudonymous-in-nc There's another 1% people never talk about these days. The 1% of our population that is in prison, often for minor drug offenses, many of whom will never be allowed to vote.
Flying Squid I agree. It's mostly a state issue and not one the federal government needs to intrude upon, but I agree nonetheless.
Flying Squid I'm game though they should be treated as residing at their last known address. Per a below comment, the right to vote is a fundamental right, so it can't just be mostly a state issue.
Oh my, the ACLU has certainly been stained (rimshot) by the Santorum endorsement. Did ya see what I did there?
williwaws haven't A CLU.
We are closing schools, laying people off. Families are being foreclosed on and being put out in the streets. And all Santorum, running for President can talk about is who is Gay. We need to start looking at what is best for the country. We are not in high school any more. Hello!!! Yes it is a good way to raise money. But I think the Republicans have a “gay agenda”, more than the gay community has. They have nothing to say, so they go for the gay!
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