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Midday Open Thread: Florida Felons Seek Right to Vote |
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The always-contentious state of Florida has seen an increase in convicted felons applying to have their voting rights restored. The WSJ reports that Republican Governor Charlie Christ is going against his party by making it easier for felons to apply for reinstatement:
Florida’s clemency board has restored voting rights to nearly 75,000 residents. But nearly 96,000 requests are pending, according to information through March 20. Activists say there might be an additional 400,000 people who have been rejected without explanation, making it impossible for them to be reinstated.
The fate of these votes is especially sensitive in Florida, where George W. Bush claimed the presidency by a mere 537 votes in 2000. But similar tensions are playing out across the country, with 5.3 million U.S. citizens unable to vote because of felony convictions — including four million people who are no longer in prison, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.
Florida is one of several states that permanently disenfranchises individuals once they have a felony conviction.
Seminal readers, what are you reading today?
Good news!
since this is an open thread, i’d just like to mention that i kind of miss the (music) videos that used to accompany the daily briefings - they’ve become extremely rare and i’m feeling sort of down about it. that’s all. just thought i’d throw that out there…
Ha! Ok. I’ll see if I can get a music video up with my threads tomorrow night…