Maryland Legislature Restores Voting Rights To 40,000 Ex-Offenders

[eridani]

http://www.nationofchange.org/news/2016/02/10/breaking-maryland-legislature-restores-voting-rights-to-40000-ex-offenders/

Maryland’s legislature voted on Tuesday to override Gov. Larry Hogan (R)’s veto of a bill to give more than 40,000 ex-offenders in the state the right to vote while still on parole or probation.

Maryland joins 13 other states and the District of Columbia where citizens are permitted to vote immediately after serving their sentences. Hogan vetoed the legislation in May of last year after the legislature passed it with large majorities.

In response to the override, Hogan’s office issued a statement saying that he was disappointed with the decision and that “our citizens deserve better.”

“Today, twenty-nine people in the Maryland Senate decided to ignore reason and common sense and support an action that the vast majority of Marylanders vehemently oppose,” a spokesperson for the governor said. “For too long, voters have been completely ignored by their elected representatives in Annapolis.”

[Raine1967]

1. Of those 40,000, half of them live in the city of Baltimore:

The reversal both dealt a political blow to the Republican governor, who lobbied to prevent the bill from becoming law, and set the stage for an estimated 20,000 former inmates to cast ballots in Baltimore's primary election for mayor and City Council this spring.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-felons-voting-20160209-story.html#ifrndnlocgoogle

This will change the entire Mayoral race for the city. It's nice to see people trying to EXPAND voting rights. --No thanks to the governor there.

[Gothmog]

2. This is great news

[countryjake]

3. Felon disenfranchisement laws need to be eliminated countrywide, now!

As was argued in our own state of wa, racial bias in the criminal justice system overwhelmingly violates the Voting Rights Act by leaving minority prisoners without a voice in the political processes thru their lives, long after they've done their time and paid their dues.

This is incredibly good news, for Maryland and hopefully, for every single convicted felon who is still being deprived of their right to vote.

[lovemydog]

4. Congratulations to the Maryland legislature

and the people of Maryland.

This is great news.

We need this in every State.

Expand voting rights!