Posted on 02/09/2016 9:52:02 AM PST by House Atreides
The Maryland Senate narrowly overrode Gov. Larry Hogan's final veto from last year's General Assembly session, paving the way to reinstate voting rights to felons before they complete probation or parole.
The 29-18 vote on Tuesday puts the law on the books 30 days from now and represents a political defeat for Hogan, a Republican. The bill was the sixth that Hogan vetoed last year, and the sixth the Democrat-controlled General Assembly reinstated.
The vote, twice delayed in order to muster enough support, followed an expansive debate that touched on resolving racial disparities in the criminal justice system and protecting victims of violent crime. Proponents argued voting would help felons rejoin society. The current system requires felons to complete probation and parole before registering to vote. Supporters of the law said that process was confusing and demoralizing to people trying to rebuild their lives.
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
unbelievable - ping
This is really messed up! I don't want an ex-con allowed to vote to lower the penalties for rape, murder, etc. This needs to go before SCOTUS asap. And resolved before the Nov general.
So do they get all their rights restored? Or just the ability for criminals to vote Democrat
Let our released early, violent gentle giants, black felons vote.
If they want to vote Republican, do they not get their rights back?
It of course helps the Democrats.
It should be kept in mind that voting rights were suspended while people were in prison because it would have been difficult in 1866 (and even in 2015) to get them the right ballots because they came from all over the state.
Arsonist A might need an Annapolis ballot, Bad Boy B might need a Baltimore ballot, Convict C might need a Cumberland ballot, Felon F might need a Frederick ballot, etc.
Maryland Senate narrowly overrode Gov. Larry Hogan...Must be Hogan's fault! Oh, sorry.
What are we to think of a government that encourages criminals to vote and discourages members of the armed forces from voting?
Well there is a few votes for Hillary
We need to worry less about battles and more about tax and benefit caps.
The Democrats are almost sure to have unbeatable electoral margins in the coming decades. By 2020, my vote in Florida will not matter at the federal level.
The only way we will be able to fight by 2020 is to withhold our dollars from the economy. A 25% economic turndown is the only tool we’ll have.
What I suggest is a Constitution amendment that:
1. assigns new US born children the citizenship of their mother
2. authorizes an immigration amnesty in 2017 and legalizes the unconstitutional 1986 amnesty
3. imposes tax/fee/fine/spending/benefit caps
All my ammo went down, too !
Strange idea of liberty you have there. Freedom for me but not for thee?
The Democrats want competent administration of their programs (by Republicans) and more freebie programs, so Republican governors and Democratic legislators get elected.
If you were given a choice, would you have your children educated in a majority Republican area or a majority Democratic area?
If you were poor and had a choice, would you live in a majority Republican area or a majority Democratic area?
Inmates running the asylum.
My biggest concern would be both the bureaucracy and liberal bent any kind of tribunal or board hearing it would take. I fear it would be a rubber stamp. It would be a governmental jobs program for more liberal losers with degrees in psychology.
But I do feel there should be a way.
Someone very close to me got hooked on heroin, and his life spiraled out of control. His older brother had been beaten by a gang of neighborhood guys, and he went to the house they were at with a baseball bat and yelled for them to come out. (He was and is an extremely muscular guy) When they did, he beat a couple of them severly with the bat, putting one in the hospital. He was convicted and spent several years in jail for it. They guys he beat were scum. He wasn’t an evil guy, and I always had a great relationship with him. He was weak, like many of us are, and he paid for it nearly succumbing to the drugs and letting his emotions get control of him.
But he took full responsibility for what he did, and vowed to turn his life around.
When he got out of jail, he worked hard to turn his life around. He opened his own business and works like hell at it. Tries to raise his kids without a psychotic and criminal mother and give them the best chance and discipline to succeed. He has kept his nose clean and to the grindstone.
It is people like him (and from what I have seen of the posts on FR, knarf) who should have a pathway to restore their full rights.
I agree with you on “paying the debt to society” (including parole). And - if they aren’t to be trusted with a vote or a gun - why are they out on the streets again?
This line got me: “Proponents argued voting would help felons rejoin society....Supporters of the law said that process was confusing and demoralizing to people trying to rebuild their lives.”
My daughter was at an ethics competition, and one of the things was moving the voting age to 16. A similar argument as above (replace “rebuild” with “build”) could be used for pushing the voting age down. (Or how about 13?).
Why not? I’ve never heard of anyone being sentenced to having their voting rights withheld.
I agree, I tell people this all the time. And yes, second amendment rights, too. Since anyone can get/make/steal/ a weapon if they want one anyway, if they can’t be trusted among us, then why are they among us?
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