Posted on 09/23/2004 4:52:04 AM PDT by jpw01
ATLANTA - Georgia's voting ban for convicted felons on probation or parole dilutes black voting strength in the state because so many black males are in the correctional system, a new study says.
Democratic Reps. Bob Holmes and Tyrone Brooks announced Wednesday that they would sponsor a bill during the next legislative session to lift the ban, citing the study released by the Washington, D.C.-based Sentencing Project that shows one in eight black males in Georgia are in the correctional system.
Convicted felons who are out of prison but still on probation or parole can't vote, even though most work and pay taxes.
"This is a clear case of taxation without representation," Holmes said.
Holmes, Brooks and civil rights leader Joseph Lowery gathered in front of the State Capitol on Wednesday to mark the release of the Sentencing Project study, which looked at the disenfranchisement of Georgia's convicted felons.
According to the study, one in eight black males in the state can't vote because they've been convicted of a felony, compared to one in 18 for non-black males. In Atlanta, the rate is one in seven for black males, compared to one in 20 for non-black males.
The majority of black men in the state prison system were convicted of violating drug laws, Brooks said.
Thirteen states and the District of Columbia currently allow probationers and parolees to vote, while others deprive felons of their voting rights for life. Under Georgia law, voting rights are automatically restored to felons after they complete their full sentences.
Brooks said the proposed legislation will be the first attempt in Georgia to lift the voting ban for convicted felons on probation or parole. If it passed, this state would be the first in the South to allow probationers and parolees to vote.
"It's long overdue," he said. "You shouldn't ever lose your right to vote until you die and go to heaven."
---
Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
Exactly!
If voting were that important to criminals, they should stay outta jail.
"This is a clear case of taxation without representation," Holmes said.
Do felons pay taxes?
This is the second article in the last several hours on the subject And both times I couldn't help but think - gee wiz, I wondered how long it would take for the left to come up with some way to allow convicted felons to vote.
And what's next? Blame GW for the fact that a high percentage of blacks are felons?
Well, as Jim Carrey so eloquently put it in "Liar, Liar":
"STOP BREAKING THE LAW, A**HOLE!!"
This proposal is simply insane.
"Georgia's voting ban for convicted felons on probation or parole dilutes black voting strength in the state because so many black males are in the correctional system, a new study says."
[shrug]
Don't be a felon, then. The law doesn't say black felons can't vote...it says felons can't vote: white black brown or purple.
Just a headline grab that I hope GA will properly smack down.
Has that been proven or does it just sound good to liberal ears?
Could this be a co-ordinated effort on the part of the Dems? Perhaps a post election whine about how the nasty Republicans stole another election by disenfranchising black votors again? Didn't I just hear sKerry mention that a few days ago?
Can you say, Debt To Society?
They can vote when they can repay the state the cost of incarcerating their sorry as*ses. It costs taxpayers tons of money so these losers can work out in the prison gym and watch TV all day. I want my money back, with interest, and then they can apply to have their voting rights returned. This should be part of "paying their debt to society."
Listen up, VRWC Members. The democraps have just made an amazing concession. However, notice they say nothing about those who go to Hell.
The law applies to felons who have finished their sentences and are now out and about.
In GA, once you have been convicted of a felony you are never allowed to vote ever again.
What's amusing about this controversy is that the ban stems from an anti-white statute: during Reconstruction laws were passed in many Southern states that forbade felons, including anyone who had served in the Confederate military, from voting.
Apparently what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander.
Yet another attempt by the dastardly Republicans to suppress the black vote. To make up for this injustice, blacks in African countries should be allowed to vote as well.
Georgia House of Representatives
Representative Bob Holmes (D-53)
State Capitol / Room 226 / Atlanta , GA 30334
P.O. Box 110009 / Atlanta , GA 30311-0009
Capitol: (404) 656-5115 ... District: (404) 755-9528 ... Fax: (404) 880-8090
The only statistic I need to know before I go to the voting booth: 85% of convicted felons are democrats, while 85% of service members are republicans. That and abortion equals a check next to anybody with an 'R' next to their name.
Representative Tyrone Brooks (D-GA) Georgia House District 47
Representative Tyrone Brooks
511
LOB
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 656-6372
Fax:
Representative Tyrone Brooks
Station A
PO Box 11185
Atlanta, 30310
Phone: (404) 524-5531
Fax: (404) 656-0238
Representative Tyrone Brooks is now known around the world as the man who brought down that old, racist, divine symbol, the Georgia Confederate flag. He is a lifelong member of the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Warrenton, GA and his Atlanta church home is the West Hunter Street Baptist Church in the west end.
Tyrone Brooks began his career in public service as an activist for civil and human rights at the age of 15 as a volunteer with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He became a full-time staffer of the organization in 1967 under Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Under Dr. King, Rev. Ralph David Abernathy and Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, he served in many positions, nationally and locally. Brooks is President of an SCLC affiliate (GABEO). He has been at the forefront and involved in the struggle for freedom, justice and equality since 1960 and has been jailed 65 times for civil rights work.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.