73 Percent of Americans Favor Restoring Voting Rights for Nonviolent Drug Offenders

Public opinion has little sway on what our lawmakers do:

According to the latest Reason-Rupe poll, 73 percent of Americans favor restoring voting rights to nonviolent drug offenders who have served their sentences, with strong majorities among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. Eighty-two percent of Democrats, 71 percent of Independents, and 66 percent of Republicans all favor allowing nonviolent drug offenders who have served their sentences to vote.

Public opinion seems to side with Senator Rand Paul, who recently filed legislation that would allow individuals convicted of a nonviolent criminal offense to vote in federal elections after they have completed their terms of incarceration and parole/probation. That legislation, however, only has a two percent chance of being enacted according to govtrack.us.

source

So why is there only a 2% chance of this law being changed when 73% of the voters favor it, imho lobbyists.

Felons can't vote in the States? Here they set up polling in the jails.

a reply to: AlaskanDad

There's only a 2% chance of the law being enacted, because that is the percentage of our elected officials that actually listen to public opinion. You know, the public that put them in office in the first place

originally posted by: intrepid
Felons can't vote in the States? Here they set up polling in the jails.

Just think of how many lawyers, mostly prosecutors who want to appear "tough on crime" run for offices. We also vote on judge retention.
Yeah, that's why THEY don't want felons voting...

a reply to: intrepid

Florida, the state with the toughest voting restrictions for convicted felons, prohibits anyone convicted of any felony offense—even nonviolent offenders—from ever voting. As a result, it has the largest number of disenfranchised citizens out of any state in the country. As of 2012, 10.4 percent of the entire state population was prohibited from voting due to a felony conviction. According to data provided by the Sentencing Project, roughly 5.85 million American citizens were disenfranchised through the criminal justice system in 2012.

There’s no real public safety threat in allowing those who have completed their sentences—even those convicted of violent crimes—from expressing themselves at the ballot box. Still, it’s a welcome sign that public opinion overwhelmingly favors allowing at least nonviolent drug offenders to vote after they’ve served their sentences.

One can only wonder if private prisons and LEO's union might be blocking the change.

Prisoners should not be able to vote.
After they serve their time they should be able to vote again. Just my two cents..

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

Even is said prisoner is a politcal prisoner or a prisoner where there was no victim or loss of money.

I think your wrong my friend my 2 cents as well.

a reply to: MGaddafi

No convicted felon should vote. Most of those types have victims or loss of money. Sorry, that's just how I see it.

I actually don't see why anyone who has completed paying for their crime (served their time) should not be allowed to vote.

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

Your view will change when you are illegaly arrested and convicted which happens alot. With no evidence or trial just like that your a criminal for smoking drinking or freedom of speech and soon refusing the Ebola vaccine that they will make mandatory.

a reply to: AlaskanDad

This is just one of the many measures WASP authoritarians use to maintain the social hierarchy.

Limits on voting rights, excluding felons, gerrymandering, outright misinformation. It all has the same goal.

Cause people of color not to vote.

Demographics and time will overwhelm all these measures. Many WASP's will go nuts fighting it, revert to religious extremism, violence, insurgency, secession efforts. If you want a preview, just watch Fux News. It's all on display.

There is no way republicans will allow this, these people will be labeled as liberal across the board. Same reasons why we have drug testing and back ground checks for jobs.

Hilary Clinton has said she supports felons the right to vote.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
There is no way republicans will allow this, these people will be labeled as liberal across the board. Same reasons why we have drug testing and back ground checks for jobs.

Hilary Clinton has said she supports felons the right to vote.

I drug test my employees so when they use the power tools, they keep all their fingers. I don't want a lawsuit. ..

originally posted by: MGaddafi
a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

Your view will change when you are illegaly arrested and convicted which happens alot. With no evidence or trial just like that your a criminal for smoking drinking or freedom of speech and soon refusing the Ebola vaccine that they will make mandatory.

If you believe everything you just wrote, do you honestly believe your vote would ever see the light of day?

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71
Has it stopped injuries from occurring? You can thank Ronald Reagan for giving you more rights than your employees.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71
Has it stopped injuries from occurring? You can thank Ronald Reagan for giving you more rights than your employees.

When an employee get injured, they must get a blood test. They can't file a lawsuit as easily if they violate the companies substance abuse policy.
Maybe you have not noticed bartenders being sued for letting people drink to much. There is no personal responsibility anymore, it's always somebody else's fault.

Wow, I'm actually shocked that a drug conviction loses your right to vote (forever) in any state of this 'land of the free' I hear about. Even in the UK when you have served your prison time and are free again, you can vote. Only while in prison do you lose the right, although the UK is breaking EU human rights law and will probably introduce voting for prisoners serving less than 12 months, but it has successfully managed to drag it's feet about it for few years so far now.
www.parliament.uk...

a re a ply to: grainofsand

A drug conviction does not, a felony conviction does.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71
Has it stopped injuries from occurring? You can thank Ronald Reagan for giving you more rights than your employees.

Google "workplace accidents" and see how many people have died and been severely injured and disabled.

Nobody should ever have to work alongside someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

They get people killed.

Only in America where holding onto a naturally occuring plant(that is shown to provide benefit) is equivalent punishement as a child molester, serial killer, rapist and terrorist.