On Saturday night, the folks at the Kentucky Theatre were nice enough to let us set up a table for their monthly showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show. The showing coincided with a free movie night for University of Kentucky students, making it a great opportunity to register some voters. Central Kentucky members registered voters, collected voting rights postcards, and handed out invitations to KFTC meetings to folks dressed in all of their Rocky Horror glory. We invited a number of students out to the UK campus meetings and had a great conversation with a man who is working to get his voting rights back.

Later on in the week, we will be continuing this great work at the Transit Center on Thursday and at the North Lexington wedding of Tanya Ferguson and Christian Torp on Saturday. Hope to see y'all there! 

KFTC members Janet Tucker and Tayna Fogle took turns this past weekend visiting the East End Reunion in Lexington, registering voters and talking about restoration of voting rights for former felons. 

The day started out slow, but by 7 p.m., the event had attracted many hundreds of participants.

Tayna Fogle returned with over 100 postcards filled out, calling on our legislators to restore voting rights to all former felons who have served their debt to society.  She also took the opportunity to take the microphone and do a little mass education about the issue.

"It was so much fun," Tayna said.  "We met a lot of people who are really with us that night."

Here are some videos that cover a part of the Georgetown Singing for Democracy event a few weeks ago. 

Thanks to Rick Traud, of the Northern KY KFTC Chapter for taking a crack at videotaping this even though he'd never used the video camera before.

We got a lot of good quotes and feedback from our KFTC delegation to Fancy Farm last week.  Here they are.

"It feels good to be down here with all these members of KFTC getting our issues out there at a wonderful event and a huge part of Kentucky politics. Everybody else should come down next year!" - Danny Cotton, Central KY KFTC

"There was a lot of tension and... it was so partisan.  To encounter people and say ‘we’re a non-partisan, grassroots organization. I think people from all kinds of backgrounds responded to that and seemed more open to what we had to say. That was really cool." - Meredith Wadlington, Bowling Green KFTC

"I think KFTC made a huge difference to the whole landscape of Fancy Farm" - Greg Capillo, Madison County KFTC

"I had a blast. This was my first time at Fancy Farm.  So many people came up and asked me about my sign and told me it was a good cause. I had long debate with someone who didn’t agree with us, but that felt really productive too." - Colton Jessie, Bowling Green KFTC

"The candidates were okay. The issues are more important, but that’s what we’re here for. It makes a pretty good weekend. First time down- probably going to come back."
David Hunter, Northern KY KFTC

"I was really pumped that KFTC was able to get so much info out there. Everywhere we went there were people carrying our stickers and fans and such. It’s really awesome to have a strong presence." - Kevin Smiley, Bowling Green KFTC

"The lack of people of color who attended the 130th annual Fancy Farm Picnic was very disappointing. With one person of color present on stage and very few in the crowd, it was as if non-white people have no place in the political arena.  I believe part of the picnic's problem is that it doesn't seem to really welcome people of color. I say this because of the experience my colleagues and I had at the hall of Knights of Columbus #1418, the main food vendor for this event.  We were seated in the only diverse section of the hall and we were watched over, harassed and I was asked to leave. It was so bad that one of the three white males at our table said, "Man, they just won't leave y'all alone."" - Toma Lynn Smith, Jefferson County KFTC

"I had so many people ask me what KFTC was. I had such a good time today spreading the message especially about felon disenfranchisement. I thought it was very valuable for us to be here and let people know that just as their minds were starting to turn toward the fall election season and voting that there are 186,000 plus Kentuckians who didn’t have that ability or that privilege to do that, because their rights had been stripped."  - Antonio Mazzaro, Northern KY KFTC

"Fancy Farm is this giant ruckus. This big crazy party where everyone screams and no one is sure what’s going on. It’s a bit like British parliament. I feel like I could show up in a straw hat and tweed suit and still be okay. Of course, George Washington and Abe Lincoln fought it out earlier, so. Then, there was a caveman. I’m not actually making any of this up. It was all here at Fancy Farm." - Nate Kinsman, Northern KY KFTC

"I talked to people who were wearing Rand Paul stickers and I talked to people that were wearing Jack Conway stickers. It seemed like a little glimmer of hope for Kentucky as far as being able to work between the parties. I’ll try to come back every year if I can." - Meredith Wadlington, Bowling Green KFTC

"I really enjoyed meeting and talking with some people, even though some of them were kind of ridiculous. And, I look forward to coming back next year." - Tony Zeller, Northern KY KFTC

In the past few weeks, KFTC members have been tabling all over Central Kentucky with voter empowerment as our main message. Last Friday, we talked to folks at the Job Corps Summer Bash in North Lexington. There, we met a lot of young people who were registering to vote for the first time and talked to folks about our voting rights campaign. A lot of the crowd was new to Kentucky and surprised by the state’s felon disenfranchisement policy. Members had some interesting conversations while passing along information about our work.

On Saturday, Central Kentucky KFTC members tabled alongside other Lexington organizations at Hope in the City in Douglass Park. The focus of the event was to raise HIV awareness in Lexington communities, and many booths featured messages of empowerment. Members were glad to be there talking to folks about registering to vote and our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons. Visitors to the table commented again and again on how important voter empowerment is, especially in communities that sometimes feel powerless. All in all, we registered about 15 new voters, talked to some folks who were really excited about our ongoing work, and filled out plenty of voting rights postcards!

The annual Fancy Farm Picnic is an odd Kentucky political tradition in which partisan political campaigns, barbecue enthusiasts, Bingo players, and thousands of political enthusiasts come together at St. Jerome's Parish in far, far Western Kentucky for a day of stump speeches, RC Cola, and Bingo, and way too much food. 

The event is largely about the candidates, who launch searing political attacks against each other in a hostile environment as supporters of the opposing candidate try to shout them down and boo them off of the stage.

If that doesn't sound like what Democracy should look like to you, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth members ardently agree with you, which is why we brought several dozen members out to the event from Louisville, Bowling Green, Northern Kentucky, Lexington, as well as some of our members far Western Kentucky.

Our plan was to challenge the partisan, zero-sum, and frankly mean dynamics at Fancy Farm and to instead try to have conversations with candidates and other political enthusiasts about real issues that we can work together on to make Kentucky a better place for all of us.

We passed out over 400 fans with KFTC's Vision Statement on the back and about 750 lapel stickers for our Voting Rights campaign, plus hundreds of copies of our newsletter balancing the scales.

With 43 KFTC members canvassing the crowd, we managed to have a lot of key conversations with candidates, elected officials, allies, media outlets, KFTC members in Western KY we don't usually get to see, and others.  Prominent Republican and Democratic Party leaders alike commented on the strong showing by KFTC, something we hope they both remember during the Legislative Session early next year. 

KFTC has brought smaller groups to Fancy Farm for the last few years, but never nearly this many.  It was the first trip to Fancy Farm for about 3/4 of our members, most of whom say they're looking forward to making next year's trip even bigger.

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Fancy Farm, 2010 - By The Numbers

43 - KFTC members volunteering at some point during the event.  

130 - Years the Fancy Farm Picnic has been held.

400 - Fans with KFTC's Vision Statement passed out to the crowd.

720 - Total miles traveled by our crew from Northern Kentucky to get to Fancy Farm and back

750 - "I Voted, But 186,000 Kentuckians Could Not" stickers passed out to  people at the event.

15,000 - Total estimated attendance.

19,000 - Pounds of pork and mutton cooked up for the barbecue (that's very close to a metric ton)

  _____________________________________________________________________

We'll have more reports from Fancy Farm in the coming days, including reactions from members who came out with us. 

Most of us have seen signs advertising Notary Publics or signed a document that required one, but what exactly does a Notary Public do? And, how does someone become one?

The main role of Notary Publics is to acknowledge signatures, meaning they verify that the person signing a document is who he or she claims to be. Specific to KFTC’s work, the application to restore civil rights for former felons requires the signature of a notary. Becoming a notary is not as difficult a process as one might expect. Below are the steps to take if you’re interested:

1. In order to become a notary, you must be at least 18 years old, be a resident of the county where you are applying or be principally employed there, be of good moral character, and be capable of discharging the duties imposed upon you by law.
2. You can obtain the Notary Public Application on the Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.ky.gov/adminservices/notaries/  . You can also get one from your County Clerk’s office. This may be the easier route since your county clerk will need to fill out a portion at the bottom of the application.
3. Once you’re done with the application, you mail it to Notary Commissions, PO Box 821, Frankfort, KY  40602-0821 along with a $10.00 application fee.
4. If your application is approved, you will receive a postcard in the mail instructing you to post bond and take the Oath of Office. You must do this within 30 days of receiving your postcard, or you’ll have to start the process all over.
5. For specific instructions on posting bond, you should contact your County Clerk’s office. For example, in Fayette County, you can post bond by having a landowner other than yourself sign for you, or by purchasing insurance through a company that provides notary insurance. Other counties may have different methods.
6. After posting bond, you take the Oath of Office at your County Clerk’s office. The Oath is about a paragraph in length and primarily says that you will not duel with anyone. 
7. You may have to pay a fee to your County Clerk to process your certificate. In Fayette County, it costs $19 plus another $1 to mail it out. 
8. You’ll receive your certificate appointing you as a Notary Public.
9. Unless you’ll be notarizing documents that leave the state, you will not need to purchase stamps or seals that different companies may try to sell you. 
10. If you’d like further guidance as a Notary Public, you can read through the “Notary Handbook” available as a pdf file on the Secretary of State website at http://www.sos.ky.gov/adminservices/notaries/.

Scott County KFTC members had a tremendous Singing For Democracy Gospel Fest in Georgetown last night with about 150 people happily crammed into the Ed Davis Learning Center to listen to some great gospel music and to educate each other on how we can work to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their time.

The program included powerful singers like Chris Willis, Lonnie Cowan, Margaret Sweat, and Maria Houghton, local religious leaders like Rev Joseph Jackson and Rev Rodney Mason, and former felons from Georgetown and elsewhere taking the mic to tell their stories.  One act was even the local cheer leading group the Mud Turtles. 

Event participants also got to see a big preview of the voting rights digital stories film by Seed Lynn through the Highlander Center's Zilphia Horton Project. 

The Georgetown News-Graphic was also at the event and we're looking forward to seeing the story in the next few days.

We've had similar events in Louisville and Lexington over the last 9 months, but this Singing For Democracy was special because of where it was. Senator Damon Thayer, the Chair of the State and Local Government Committee is the individual most responsible for blocking a bill to restore voting rights to former felons in recent years - and Georgetown is his hometown. 

Scott County KFTC members used the process of organizing the event  to bring together churches and individuals in a key communities to raise awareness of felony disenfranchisement.  We had numerous planning meetings and outreach events for the event, including going door-to-door, visiting churches, tabling at basketball games, and posting flyers.   

“Forgiveness, loving your neighbor, compassion - If we truly believed all of that, then we wouldn’t have to have this discussion about whether former felons can vote or not.   God is always watching – and we’d better make this right.”

                       – Tayna Fogle, former felon, and key event organizer

Special Thanks To:
The Brighton Center, People Advocating Recovery, Connie Willis, Steppin To A New Beat participants, Ed Davis Learning Center, Never Alone, Scott County NAACP, Catholic Conference, ACLU, Key Conversations (1580 AM), King Cobras, Lexington Nightwhawks, Brothers Unite, Regulators, Recovery Voices Count, Highlander Center, Chronic Pain Support, and all of the members of the Boston Community in Georgetown!

Scott County KFTC members are going straight from this event to their first Annual Meeting Chapter Meeting this Thursday (August 5th) at 7pm at Saints Francis and John Catholic Parish on Main Street in Georgetown.  Chapter members are looking forward to having some new faces at the meeting on account of the big event.  If you're in the area, please consider joining them.

Even if you couldn't make it out to Singing For Democracy, you can still make an impact on this issue from home!

Call 1-800-372-7181 to leave a message for your legislators.  The Legislative Message Line is open 8am to 4:30pm Monday – Friday. 

Leave a message for Senator Damon Thayer.  At the same time, you can also leave a message for Senators David Williams and Robert Stivers, plus your own Senator and Representative.

A simple message like "I support voting rights for former felons" works.

We had a great planning meeting last night for in Scott County for their upcoming Singing For Democracy Gospel Fest, an event to rally the community together to restore voting rights to former felons.

Final acts and publicity plans are coming together and we have a strong set of outreach events over the next week leading up to Saturday (calendar below).  You can also download a copy of the Flyer or Handbill of the event by clicking the link - and then pass them out to friends or members of your church on Sunday. 

One big piece of news is that we've decided to premier our voting rights digital stories video at the Gospel Fest - a piece recently shot by Seed Lynn as part of a project with the Highlander Center.

Although the event is primarily for Scott County, some members from  Northern Kentucky, Lexington, Grant County, Owen County, Frankfort, and other nearby places are planning to come as well, so feel free to join us from out of town.  

Singing For Democracy Publicity Events:

- Sunday, July 25th – Whistle-stop tour of Georgetown Churches to invite them out to the Gospel Fest (contact Tayna Fogle at 859-699-8073 for more information)

- Tuesday, July 27th – Meet at the Ed Davis Learning Center at 5pm to canvass the Boston and neighborhood and leave door-hangers for Singing For Democracy.  Then, pass out handbills at the basketball game at the Ed Davis Learning Center at 6:30pm.
- Thursday, July 29th – Meet at the Ed Davis Learning Center at 5pm to canvass the Boston and neighborhood and leave door-hangers for Singing For Democracy.  Then, pass out handbills at the basketball game at the Ed Davis Learning Center at 6:30pm.

for more information about this event, contact Tayna Fogle at 859-699-8073 or Dave Newton at 859-420-8919 or Dave@kftc.org

On Tuesday, Central Kentucky members visited the Hope Center in Lexington to talk about voter empowerment. The Hope Center is a center for the homeless that provides shelter, food, clothing, social services, and a number of programs designed to deal with the underlying causes of homelessness.

Members visited the men's shelter at dinnertime and had some incredible conversations, registering 25 new voters. One man told us that he didn't feel comfortable voting, because he didn't feel informed. After hearing about the KFTC voter guide, he decided to register to vote and read up before the November election.

While at the Hope Center, we met many men who had lost their right to vote because of a felony in their past. Members educated them about the process to restore their voting rights and handed out forms and other information. We found a lot of support for House Bill 70, and had some great conversations about our efforts to restore voting rights. 

Voting in Kentucky as a homeless person can be difficult. The voter registration card asks for an address, which is not always available. Many shelters, like the Hope Center, allow their address to be used. Also, some county clerks will allow homeless individuals to use their offices' address in order to register. You can call your clerk to find out how they handle voters without addresses.

For more information about the Hope Center, you can visit their website at www.hopectr.org.