Yesterday at church, I heard a story about voting

[struggle4progress]

Last edited Mon Nov 5, 2012, 10:18 AM - Edit history (1)

Some years ago, we changed the rules here in North Carolina, so that convicted felons are allowed to register and vote, once they have completely served their sentences

But maybe the word gets out only slowly

A woman at church told me she knew a man who had been convicted a long time ago, and a few days ago he finally went to vote. He was expecting all sorts of grief and trouble, but he told her nobody said any of the stuff he expected to hear: he got his ballot, and he marked it, and he handed it back in, and there was no incident of any kind

And he went back to his car (he told her) and sat down and broke into tears

It matters to people. It really matters

[okafor]

1. voting

I'm sure the man felt some redemption, some semblence of being back in society. Good for him. If a man has made a mistake, and paid his price for it, he deserves to be welcomed back into normal society again.

We are a country of second chances.

[Mira]

8. Well said and I think that's exactly right - and to you I say

"Welcome to DU"

[NoOtherMedicineNovel]

14. Heart wrenching. Cudos for courage. Thank you, sir. It must have been so hard for you.

And thanks to new DU poster for sharing this story.
Welcome from another new DU member.

[arthritisR_US]

38. You guys warm my heart! Welcome to you

both to DU

[Jackpine Radical]

37. You sound like some kinda Goddam

Democrat or something.

All fulla compassion and humanity and charity and that kinda stuff.

You're probly the kinda dweeb that contributes to food pantries & homeless shelters and all that.




Welcome.

[arthritisR_US]

39. Hehe....the only kind of democrat I know!

[AlbertCat]

51. You're probly the kinda dweeb that contributes to food pantries & homeless shelters and all that.

It's easier to put on slippers than to carpet the whole world.

[freshwest]

47. Let's keep it that way. The Democratic Party is about extending rights. Welcome to DU.

[dchill]

55. +1

[xtraxritical]

56. Corporate America never hires anyone with a "record".

There is no such thing as "doing the time" for the crime. It lasts forever. No one will hire an ex. That is why recidivism is so high. There should be tax incentives for hiring people that have served time, it would reduce the crime rate significantly. Voting is ok but it does not feed the family.

[Auntie Bush]

2. That's very touching! I think all convicted felons, after completing their sentence

should be able to vote. The privilege of voting is a right and shouldn't be used as punishment.
That should be made illegal as it deprives them of a constitutional right.

[CanisCrocinus]

3. I was federal felon--

a Vietnam-era draft resistor. Arrested and convicted. Lost my right to vote until President Jimmy Carter, bless his heart, issued a blanket pardon to all of us convicted of that "crime" during the war years. He actually sent us each a cool-looking certificate of the pardon!

[NEOhiodemocrat]

50. Welcome to DU

I am glad you are able to vote. Carter did some good things

[tomp]

58. exactly why legal status should not affect voting rights. nt

[ncgrits]

4. Well. Shoot. I must have something in my eye . . . again. Sniff. nt

[madokie]

5. Fucking A it matters

[mmonk]

6. Nice. Thanks for that.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

7. Thanks for that...

It was the first post I read this am... and it made my day....

[Tennessee Gal]

9. Wonderful story!

Of course it matters!

This morning scumbag Joe Scarborough was making light of the voting problems in Florida and Ohio. I wanted to jump through my television screen and grab him by the throat.

[Patiod]

10. The "civic death penalty"

SWe're the only democracy that has it.

[donquijoterocket]

23. had never

thought of it in that way,but it's true. Thank you. I always saw it as a form of double jeopardy which, I believe, is illegal in this country.

[Patiod]

25. Can't take credit - it's an eye-opening wikipedia entry "voter suppression"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression#Felon_disenfranchisement

In 2004, 5.3 million Americans were denied the right to vote because of previous felony convictions. Thirteen states permanently disenfranchise convicted felons; eighteen states restore voting rights after completion of prison, parole, and probation; four states re-enfranchise felons after they have been released from prison and have completed parole; thirteen allow felons who have been released from prison to vote, and two states do not disenfranchise felons at all.[15] Some states require felons to complete a process to restore voting rights, but offender advocates say such processes can be very difficult.

The United States is the only democracy in the world that regularly bans large numbers of felons from voting after they have discharged their sentences. Many countries including Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Norway, Peru, Sweden, and Zimbabwe allow prisoners to vote (unless convicted of crimes against the electoral system).[16] Some countries, notably the U.K., disenfranchise people for only as long as they are in prison.

In Florida during the 2000 presidential election, some non-felons were banned due to record-keeping errors and not warned of their disqualification until the deadline for contesting it had passed.

This form of vote suppression in the United States disproportionately affects minorities including African-Americans and Latinos.[16] Disenfranchisement of felons is opposed by some as a form of the medieval practice of civil death.[17]

[formercia]

11. Supressing Minority voters.

The 'boys' have used this and many other methods to prevent those they considered unworthy, from voting.

[justiceischeap]

12. I gave one of my neighbor's a ride to her church yesterday

she was going on a church trip of some sort. I asked if she'd already voted and she said, "Yes and I made my son go too."

We got into a discussion about the importance of voting and she told me she always votes because her father told her "People died so you can vote. Don't take that for granted." And she's passed this on to her son as well. I told her I totally agreed. Then we got to talking about demographics and she said that "poor Romney man" is going to be surprised by who turns out the vote this year and that his party needs to get used to the fact that white faces aren't the norm any longer.

So, people are fired up, even in states where it hasn't gotten more difficult to vote and even in states that are solidly blue.

[struggle4progress]

24. "People died so you can vote. Don't take that for granted."

[MrsFletcher]

13. Very touching, heartwarming

story. Made me smile

[NoOtherMedicineNovel]

15. A beautiful story . . . Thank you.

[Proud Public Servant]

16. It sure does matter to people. Here's another story.

My 71-year-old mother-in-law lives in one of the worst Sandy-affected counties in New Jersey; they've been without power for a week already, and they don't expect it to come back on until Wednesday. She toughed it out for the first few days in those conditions, but then agreed to come stay with us in DC and enjoy light and hot food for a while. Nevertheless, she's headed back home Tuesday morning -- to her dark, cold house -- because she refuses to miss out on the opportunity to vote.

And yes, she's voting for President Obama.

[struggle4progress]

19. +

[Plucketeer]

40. Excellent!

Tell her I/we are proud of her determination and sense of duty.

[Hubert Flottz]

45. You tell her that Hubert thinks she's a real patriot.

I wish everyone in America had her willpower and courage. Senior citizens are not simply useless mouths to feed like the Mitt and GOP would have the people in America think. Your mother-in-law has a real purpose in life and I salute her patriotic will, to serve her country at the polls tomorrow.

[psychmommy]

54. christie is allowing displaced folks vote like overseas folks

Through the Internet or email. I don't know how it works and I don't trust it.

[aptsongs]

17. True

People forget that others don't have the right to vote, and they forget how important it really is!

[clydefrand]

18. Congrats for him

Voting is important...more so than in all my years of 71.

[frazzled]

20. When we were phone banking on Saturday

to Milwaukee voters, my husband had a conversation with one guy who sadly told him that he couldn't vote because he was a felon. You can if you've completed your sentence and probation, he told him. The fellow replied that he'd not yet finished his probation, so he wasn't allowed to vote, though he wished he could. "Soon ... next time you'll get to," my husband tried to encourage him. It was no consolation for this guy. But it was the law in Wisconsin.

It was one of the sadder moments in our duties that day.

[SaveAmerica]

21. Well, you made me cry too! This is why GOTV is so

important! You could be that voice to share this info with someone who doesn't know. I've done that and it feels awesome to ask someone if they're going to vote, they say they want to but can't because they've been convicted of a felony. Hearing their happiness after they've been told that they can vote if they've served their time is priceless.

Thank you for sharing the story.

[liberal_at_heart]

22. That was a lovely story. Thank you.

[UndahCovah]

26. Now here is something

That even many freepers agree with (from what I've seen trolling their sad little e-fiefdom) -- if a person is trustworthy enough to be released into society, that person should get ALL their rights back.

[codjh9]

27. It's not just the word getting out slowly - it's the lies about who can and who can't vote

[sonibeth]

28. Thank you for sharing that and thank the gentleman for his courage.

[sinkingfeeling]

29. It matters to some, but just look at how many people in this country don't vote.

[JDPriestly]

30. California also allows people who are neither in prison nor on parole to vote.

Thanks to the media coverage of the bar to former felons in other states, some people fear registering to vote because of their pasts. At this time, those who have this fear should check with the County voter registration office about it. Don't take it from me. Check for yourself.

Make sure you are right before you assume that you are not entitled to vote. Don't give up.

[BlueJazz]

31. One of my customers (computer) was sent to jail MANY years ago for possession of pot.

He still can't vote here in Florida cause, at the time, it was a felony.

Total bullshit and so sad.

[Smilo]

32. People deserve second chances

and sometimes because of what they went through they know more about real life than the rest of us.

Sending a hug to that man

[struggle4progress]

36. yes, they do!

[Tikki]

33. Someone I care about has been there...he was actually excited he was finally going to jury duty...

..and still a bit even after a day of sitting around the jury reception room...



Tikki

[Iggo]

34. Word gets out REAL slow.

They changed the law here in California I think in the mid-70s, but I still have to tell people almost daily around election time that felons can vote under certain conditions.

In jail: NO
In prison: NO
Out on parole: NO
Out on probation: Yes
Completed probation: Yes
Completed parole: Yes

[Spitfire of ATJ]

35. Kucinich put it best. Once you've paid your debt to society you've paid your debt....

We have far too many Right Wingers who act like people should die.

"Pro-life" my ass....

[Plucketeer]

41. Great story! nt

[Hubert Flottz]

42. What the creeps who try and rob people of their right to vote,

or to have their vote count, never seem to care about is...

While a lot of them and their right winger parents and even Mitt Romney did everything in the world to get out of serving in our military, some of the people who did serve and who are still serving will get cheated out of everything they fought for, then or now. If you "support the troops" and support ALL the veterans, they should have the right to vote and to have their vote fairly tabulated. Anything less, is a disgrace to any idea of Democracy, Liberty or Freedom.

Regardless of if you served or not, if you are a legal citizen of the United States of America, you should have every opportunity to vote and your vote should be accurately counted. Our veterans some long dead and our active duty service people, have fought for all our rights as citizens for over 200 years, many gave their lives, many will never be whole again. There may come a time when every American will need to fight to vote themselves, or to fight to see to it that the will of the people is not thrown in the trash in Wisconsin or electronically erased in Ohio or anywhere else in the USA. America should never again tolerate a stolen election anywhere in this country without a real fight and we should never quit fighting election thieves until, We The People "WIN."

"Some Gave All" for what the GOP is trying to illegally eliminate in America. Election thieves and the people behind any such conspiracy, should pay that same ultimate price, if they're caught and convicted of crimes against the lawful will of the American people.

[PDJane]

43. Canada does not disenfranchise felons.

If you are a citizen, you can vote.

It wasn't until the 'felons' started being scrubbed in Florida that I realized that Americans do.

[patrice]

44. It matters. And it matters to the troubled most of all!

[DefenseLawyer]

46. Indiana has allowed felons to vote for a long time

I'm actually amazed that the Republicans that control the statehouse who brought us the first voter I.D. law and where the polls close at 6 p.m. have never gotten around to "fixing" that. I have to tell people all the time that that is the case because there are tons of people with old felonies that have always just assumed incorrectly that they couldn't vote here.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

48. One of the first things

Rick Scott did when he became governor here in FL was to make it harder for convicted felons to vote once they had served their time.... despicable

[Cha]

49. Beautiful story, thanks struggle4progress!

[LeftInTX]

52. Very touching...

[aggiesal]

53. I had this debate with a fellow co-worker . . .

I took the side that stated, if you're in jail convicted of a felony, you should
lose you right to vote.

His response was; Why? He/she is still a citizen.
Just because you're in jail doesn't mean you've lost your citizenship, only
your right to freedom, not your right to vote.

I could go either way on this issue, but if I were in jail, I think I'd fight
for my right to vote.

[emsimon33]

57. This happened frequently in 2008 when I was in NC for the Dem primary

Several of us went down to Elizabeth City from Virginia Beach to volunteer for Obama in the primary. We were canvassing using voter registration and came across several Black men who didn't even know that they had ever registered (I think that NC registered young men to vote when they registered for the draft).