I will not be voting tomorrow.

[varkam]

The funny thing is, Obama is the first Democratic candidate that I have been really excited about in a long time. I think he has the right combination of experience, heart, vision, and intellect to take this country into a new era - something which is desperately needed now (and to an extent, has been for the past six years or so). I think his rise and successes within the political system of this United States of America have been unparalleled, and I suspect that I will be proud to call him President-elect within the next few short hours.

So it is kind of strange that I won't be voting tomorrow. Perhaps it would have been a bit more clear if I had said that I can not vote tomorrow. Among the many things I am, some good and far too many bad, I am a felon and live in a state where voting rights are stripped from felons. At this point, I imagine at least some of you will stop reading. I'm not trying to engender sympathy or forgiveness from anyone, as the only people that can forgive me are those whom I have harmed in the past.

I digress. The point that I wanted to try to make today is that there are many people throughout this country who have been disenfranchised from politics for one reason or another. Some people are in my situation, and even despite the fact that this country no longer believes in us, we still believe in it. Still others have been disenfranchised through less official (and less legal means).

I wanted to say that we are with you. Those of us who, despite being engaged in politics and following the news and passionate about the issues, lack a voice in this system - we are with you.

So good luck tomorrow, gang. I'll be with you in spirit.

[rcrush]

1. What state?

I was under the assumption was that as long as you werent currently serving a sentence then you could vote?

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

5. I read somewhere that some states bar convicted felons from voting with certain

provisions that allow them to be re-enfranchised after so much time has passed and so many requirements have been met. I could be wrong, though.

[The Hope Mobile]

22. Profile says KY

[Initech]

2. You need to vote. In some cases your not voting may be decided by the Supreme Court.

See Bush v. Gore - Dec. 2000.

[WilliamPitt]

3. That really really really sucks.

I'm sorry.

Go hold a sign or something. It won't replace being able to vote, but it might make you feel better about the situation.

This is an area in need of reform. If you're a citizen, you should be able to vote. Period, end of file.

:hug:

[barbtries]

4. i'm curious to know the state as well

in NC as long as you've served your time and been discharged, you may vote. i think a lot of felons don't know that.

edited to add: i hope that hasn't stopped you from getting out the vote and being engaged. you can still make a difference in the election. and i hope you have your rights restored.

[onlyadream]

6. It shouldn't be that way...

if you did your time then it should be over. Your still a tax payer and a U.S. citizen.

[mmonk]

7. Double check your status.

If you don't or can't, we'll do our best to carry the day.

[Orrex]

8. Dammit that sucks

As a show of support, I'll vote twice. Who's with me?!?

[FedUpWithIt All]

9. Our guy is gonna take this thing.

:hug: :patriot: :applause: :woohoo: :kick: :hi: :beer:

I concer with others that you should check your status. If it is still a no remember that we are all in this fight for our future together.

[elocs]

10. This differs by state. Here in WI felons can vote after they have served their sentence

and probation and are no longer under parole. We consider that if they have paid their debt and are good enough to be part of society, to work and pay taxes, they should have the right to vote.

[Robbien]

11. Are you knocking on a few doors or manning the phone banks

If you get at least one person to vote who otherwise wouldn't have, you got yourself a vote.

And yes it is a sorry system we have where there are interests out there making sure there are many Americans being disenfranchised for oh so many reasons. I am truly sorry it happened to you too.

[ananda]

13. STAFFING the phone banks.

nt

[stillcool]

12. Damn that sucks...

The reason why I became obsessed with politics in the first place was because of how war, alcohol and drug dependency, environments of violence, the neglect and abuse of children, foster care, and the disdain society has for the have nots, lead so many from the cradle to the jail. When I go and vote tomorrow I will think of you when I draw the line and connect the dots. How appropriate is that?

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

14. Profile states: Kentucky

... altho I'm with some of the others.

So you did the crime and you've done your time.... if you can't vote, GET OTHERS TO VOTE!

[BornBlue]

15. It is too late now, but it looks like

(per your profile you are in KY), that you can fill out paperwork to request having your rights restored from the governor. A quick google search gave me some interesting hits, including KY and VA are the only two states that do not re-instate voting rights once a felon has been released from jail.

Hope this helps you get your right to vote back!

[DanHowitt]

16. I will not be voting tomorrow.

Interesting perspective yep.

[nonconformist]

17. Gov. Beshear lifted most of the restrictions on felons

http://www.kypost.com/content/news/commonwealth/story.aspx?content_id=712666ae-6827-4b08-83c5-1ed588ac4143

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gov. Steve Beshear announced Tuesday, he is removing certain barriers in the application process to restore felony voting rights.

Convicted felons who have fulfilled the requirements of their sentences will no longer have to pay a fee, write an essay or secure three recommendations to obtain the right to vote again. In addition, the process will require one – not two – formal notifications to prosecutors.

“The right to vote is a fundamental foundation of democracy,” said Beshear. “This new policy will help streamline and simplify an application process that has been made so unwieldy and time-consuming that it essentially discourages or defeats inmates’ efforts to restore that right.”

more at the link. It also states that this went into effect immediately, and the article is dated March 4th.

It may be too late for this election cycle if you weren't aware of this, but you should definitely be able to have your voting rights restored in the future. Good luck!

[Miss Chybil]

18. My brother got his rights restored. This is the first time he's been able to

vote since Reagan won. He voted for Obama. He's very proud. Keep it on the straight and narrow and I'm sure you'll get your rights back some day. In the meantime, keep doing what your doing and we'll keep the light on for you.

[unblock]

19. politicians should NOT be able to choose who gets to vote for THEIR jobs.

felony disenfranchisement has absolutely nothing to do with punishment, rehabilitation, deterence, or anything remotely associated with criminal justice, notwithstanding the visceral appeal of adding insult to injury when sentencing.

it's all about politicians deciding that they and their party stand a better chance of winning if people who commit certain crimes can't vote at all. trust me, these same people who disenfranchise based on religion, race, party identification, or just about anything else if they thought they could get away with it.

felons and ex-felons have at much a stake in their community as anyone else. ex-felons are subject to laws and taxes, so how does it make sense to deny a them a voice in the process? last i heard, this country wasn't fond of taxation without representation.


and why is it that felonies do but misdemeanors don't get someone disenfranchised? someone stole my obama sign from my front lawn this weekend. i imagine that if i caught them, they'd get less than a year in jail for trespassing and/or petty theft. so no disenfranchisement for them, in spite of an electoral crime. meanwhile, check-kiting, having nothing to do with voting, gets someone barred, possibly for life, from voting?

it makes no sense, again, except as self-preservation for certain politicians.

disgusting.



hopefully your state has a procedure to get your voting rights reinstated. good luck. i hear it's not easy, but it is important.

[KitSileya]

20. I'm sorry for you.

I do to some extent understand how you must feel, as I can't vote for Obama either, being a foreign citizen. But if things were fair, you should be able to vote - if I understand things correctly, you can be elected president, since the founding fathers understood that somethimes tyrannical executives used the court system against legislators, and they built that into the Constitution. If that's the case, it makes it doubly ironic that you cannot vote, even tho' you could have been on the ticket.

If you do have the time/can afford it, do please volunteer, tho'. Even if it's something simple as helping people who must queue for hours to vote.

[intheflow]

21. Goodness!

When someone as socially engaged and as smart as you can't vote in this election, it's a true travesty of freedom and justice, as well as a complete rape of the Constitution. My heart is with you, as always, dear varkam. :hug:

[LeftishBrit]

23. Sorry to hear that. I am always surprised at the reasons why people in America can't vote

In the UK you can't vote if you're in prison; but no one checks on whether a voter has a criminal record. It's much easier to vote here all round (you just have to bring your polling card that's sent to you in the post - not all sorts of ID) and yet we don't have a lot of voter fraud.

Another thing that shocks me in this connection is the physical difficulty of voting in many areas of America, e.g. "I had to wait in a queue for five hours" - that would NEVER happen here.

Frankly it's easy to come to the conclusion that American politicians do not WANT to make it easy for people to vote - i.e. for their employers to sack them, though that's not how they'd put it!

Anyway, I can't vote in this election either - for a much more justifiable reason! - but am cheering Obama on from the deep blue, if non-voting, "51st state". I think most of the world are cheering Obama on, and feeling enormously relieved that at least Bush is going.