Of 7,000 felons purged from voting rolls, many are Democrats, blacks

[DonCoquixote]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/of-7000-felons-purged-from-voting-rolls-many-are-democrats-blacks/1231444

"According to the data, Democrats were three times more likely than Republicans to be removed. Blacks were almost as likely as whites to be removed (44 percent of those removed were white; 43 percent were blacks), while blacks make up 16 percent of the state's population."

"Pockets of Tampa and Jacksonville are home to the most purged voters in 2012, according to voters' ZIP codes. Jacksonville, the state's largest city, accounts for 928 removals, about one of seven felons swept from the rolls, even though the rate of violent crime declined there by 3.3 percent from 2010 to 2011."


Surprise surprise, to think that the GOP would target Urban areas.

[SoutherDem]

1. What did you expect?

White Republicans would be purged? Just a few to make it look slightly fair.

[freshwest]

2. Worked in 2000. Except they had to add in a few from TX. Nothing to see here, move along.

[RZM]

3. This doesn't sound like it's about race as much as it is about felons not being able to vote

That's the law, anyway. And African-Americans are convicted of felonies at higher rates than whites and are also much more likely to be Democrats. So of course they are going to be stricken from the rolls on those grounds at a higher rate than whites are. Obviously there are racial issues involved with the justice system, but the law states that most felons lose the right to vote.

I think the real issue in this particular story is felony convictions and voting. I would be fine with allowing people with felony convictions to exercise the franchise, perhaps stipulating that they are not currently incarcerated or on parole. Actually I think you can petition to have your vote reinstated in some states. I know somebody who did some time in his early 20s and successfully regained his right to vote here in Ohio.

[PDJane]

4. Which is a fine way to keep African-Americans from the vote.

Shove them onto the school to prison pipeline, then deny them the vote.

In Canada, you can vote in prison. Why not? We don't allow the police and justice system to take away citizenship, and if stupidity or criminal tendencies were a reason for taking away the vote, it would cancel out at least half the conservative elite.

[emilyg]

5. It's the law.

[DonCoquixote]

7. So was slavery at one point

and so were laws that put abortion doctors in jail.

The point is, they are not going after the British or Canadian immigrants that lean right wing down here, nor the Cubans who are such, they focus on poor urban areas. Then again, if the laws of this state were enforced consistently, Rush Limbaugh would be doing what many other Oxy addicts are doing, looking at 2O years in the pen.

[WCGreen]

6. I am shocked, I tell you, Shocked....