The social networking site Facebook has been a key way to mobilize members and allies of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth for a few years now - for events, legislative call-in actions, etc.

But today may have been the first big (albeit fairly spontaneous) instance of lots of KFTC members and allies using Facebook to both organize and directly contact a legislator to demonstrate support for a bill. 

Senator Damon Thayer has been preventing HB 70, our bill to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society, from being voted on in his committee.  He also uses Facebook to organize his own supporters.

Today, over 80 KFTC members and allies contacted Thayer by leaving public messages on his Facebook page, all asking him to support and/or allow HB 70 to come to a vote in his committee. 

You can see the full list of comments and leave your own (polite but firm) encouragement to Thayer to allow his committee to vote on HB 70 at Damon Thayer's Facebook Page HERE.  Maybe we can top 100 comments.

This has also proven to be a great way to get people to write down how they feel about an issue so they can use that same content in a letter to the editor.  At least two of the people who have posted to Thayer's Facebook wall have already submitted the same letter to their local newspaper.

We even got a little local blog attention from the folks over at Barefoot and Progressive. 

Kudos for the idea of posting the requests on Thayer's wall. I hope it is wildly successful. And just as an aside, it is so encouraging to see all of the comments. Nothing against calling the message line, but this action gives you a real visual of solidarity on this issue." - Hillary Bullock, after she left a note on Thayer's wall.

We'll see how Senator Damon Thayer responds. 

And either way, we'll keep calling, writing, holding events, going door-to-door, and building leaders until we win this one.

At this juncture, we’re quite sure we have a little more than 60% support in the Kentucky Senate that we need to pass HB 70 - our proposed constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society. 

We also have nine votes in the Senate State and Local government committee that the bill is presently in.  That’s two more votes than we need in the committee of 12 people.  

But just because we have the votes we need, it doesn’t mean that we’re sure we’ll win.
Incredibly, State and Local Government Committee Chairman Senator Damon Thayer (presumably backed up by Senate President David Williams) will still not allow the bill to come up for a vote. 

The campaign is now focused overwhelmingly on just two targets - convincing Thayer and Williams to allow the vote to be heard.

One of the most-effective things that you can do is to write a letter to the editor today.  It's faster and easier than you think (maybe even just 15 minutes)  and can make a real impact.

For maximum effect, send your letters to the Herald-Leader, the Courier Journal, or the Georgetown News-Graphic (Thayer's hometown newspaper).  Click on the name of the paper to go to a simple online form to send your letter.

Possible points or themes to use, but just pick one and keep it simple:

- Allow the Voting Rights bill to come to a vote in committee.  We have the votes to pass it and it's an obstruction of basic democracy for Thayer to block the vote.  Let the people decide!

- Kentucky is one of just two states that doesn't automatically restore voting rights to any former felons once they've served their time.  Once someone has served their debt, it's only fair.

- Tell a short  personal story about why this issue is important to you.  That's usually the most powerful thing to communicate.

You can also take a moment to contact these two key legislators personally to ask them to allow HB 70 to be heard – or contact your own senator to help put pressure on them.

Senator David Williams

Senate District 16
Clinton, Cumberland, McCreary, Monroe, Wayne, and Whitley counties

Email Form

Mailing Address
PO Box 666
Burkesville KY 42717

Frankfort Address
702 Capitol Ave
Annex Room 236
Frankfort KY 40601

Phone Numbers
Home: (270) 433-7777
Frankfort: (502) 564-3120

Senator Damon Thayer

Senate District 17
Grant, southern Kenton (southern), Owen, and Scott Counties

Thayer's Email Form

Thayer's Facebook Page

Mailing Address
102 Grayson Way
Georgetown KY 40324

Frankfort Address
702 Capitol Ave
Annex Room 209
Frankfort KY 40601

Phone Numbers
Home: (859) 621-6956
Frankfort: (502) 564-8100 Ext. 644

All across the Commonwealth, KFTC members participated in events today celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

We also took some time to raise awareness of our Voting Rights campaign to challenge archaic laws in Kentucky that still disenfranchise 1 in 4 African Americans.

In Lexington, ten KFTC Members marched in the powerful MLK Freedom March with our banner starting at 10am, passing out voting rights handbills throughout the route. 

This is an important event for us to be at every year,” said Jerry Moody, A dedicated Central Kentucky KFTC leader who made the long march despite suffering a stroke just over a month ago.  “Building solidarity with community groups, particularly people of color groups, is key – and this is a good way to do that.”

 In Louisville, KFTC member Tayna Fogle was part of a motorcade with Wayside Christian Mission, inviting people to sign postcards to legislators about voting rights. 
In Perry County, members participated in a breakfast with a keynote speaker, followed by a march from Consolidated Baptist Church.  They took the opportunity to re-connect with the local NAACP chapter about our big voting rights lobby day in Frankfort on March 4th. 

Harlan County KFTC members participated in similar community events several days ago. 

In Scott County, KFTC members participated in a march and community event at Gano Baptist Church for the first time, with ten members participating over all.  At the community tabling event late in the evening, we connected with lots of new people in the community, including Scott County NAACP allies and three dozen people signed postcards about voting rights. 

Homer White remarked that it was one of the best community tabling events we’ve had in Scott County and many other members agreed that we should be involved every year. 

A week ago, Senator Damon Thayer published an op-ed against changing Kentucky's present policy of disenfranchising all former felons unless they go through a process to get a pardon from the Governor.  Below, is the KFTC response, written by Homer White which was just published in the Georgetown News-Graphic amidst several letter to the editors that also challenged Thayer's opinion.

Right to vote should not be subject to a whim
By Homer White
Published in the Georgetown News-Graphic

Last week our State Sen., Damon Thayer, wrote a column for the News-Graphic arguing against House Bill 70, a proposed amendment to the Kentucky constitution that would restore voting rights automatically to former felons who have served their time.

The Senator has shown himself a man after my own heart - a public servant keen to debate issues openly and on their merits. I am honored to continue the conversation he has initiated.

First of all, though, a slight quibble. Thayer wrote that HB 70 "failed in the Senate this year."

Technically this is true, but only because Thayer himself declined to call the bill for a vote in the Senate Committee that he chairs.

HB 70 passed the House 83 to 14, with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Surely it merits full consideration by our state senators.

Thayer's first substantial point against HB 70 is that a streamlined process for restoration is available to former felons through the governor's office.

However, even the streamlined pardon process is far from adequate.

Conversations with former felons indicate that most have not heard about the process and don't know how to initiate it. Even officials in the Kentucky Justice system and the state's county clerk offices often don't know how to help people through it.

We have to bear in mind that persons recently released from prison are at a particularly vulnerable point in their lives. If we want them to re-engage in society in a positive way, we should provide them with every possible encouragement to do so, and work to remove every hurdle that stands in their way.

Also, the pardon process is entirely dependent upon the sitting governor.

It's easier under Beshear, but was quite difficult under Gov. Fletcher.

Who is to say that the pardon process won't change again under a future governor?

A civil right as fundamental as the right to vote should not be subject to the whim or favor of any one individual.

A sense of the fundamental, even sacred character of the right to vote may underlie Thayer's second objection to HB 70, namely that the amendment "would create two classes of felons - those who don't have to do anything to regain their rights and those who must rely on the favor of the governor."

Apparently he alludes to the fact that HB 70 as currently written does not automatically restore rights to those who have committed murder or sexual abuse.

This is a point worthy of consideration.

For myself, I would prefer to restore rights without exception. After all, the most dangerous voters are those who use their rights to advance their own interests at the expense of the common good.

For example, lobbyists for business interests routinely support laws that give their business a special and unfair advantage, often at taxpayer expense.

Yet we would never think of denying such persons the vote.

The right to vote is just that sacred.

A former murderer, on the other hand, never has an opportunity to vote for politicians who pledge to "make murder easier," so his vote is far less likely to damage the common good.

Accordingly there is even less reason to deny this person the right to participate in our democracy.

The right to vote is just that sacred.

Nevertheless, I concede that HB 70, as it stands, has widespread support, and it would at least restore rights to nearly all former felons. Although it is a compromise, I support it wholeheartedly.

The right to vote is just that sacred.

HB 70 is more than just a technical device to make the restoration process cheaper and more reliable than the current system of individual pardons, though it will certainly accomplish this aim.

For in the end it is not, strictly speaking, the right to vote that is sacred - it is the dignity of the human person that is sacred. Picture, if you would, a young woman who gets mixed up in drugs and goes to prison.

Many of us know such a person - she may be a childhood friend, someone we went to school with, a relative, even our child.

HB 70 is a message to this young woman that she has dignity, that we need and value her positive involvement in society, that we want her to rebuild her life and that when she does so we are delighted to welcome her back.

And it delivers its own message in a practical way - by restoring her right to vote.

This response is on behalf of Scott County members of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. If you share our passion about this issue, please join our regular meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Ed Davis Center.

Contact me at 502-570-0032, or hwhite0@georgetowncollege.edu.

Homer S. White is professor of Mathematics and a Georgetown resident.

This weekend, Senator Damon Thayer published an op-ed in the Georgetown News-Graphic defending the current process by which former felons can request voting rights back through a pardon from the Governor.  

Senator Thayer currently opposes a proposed Constitutional Amendment which would bring Kentucky more in line with other states by restoring voting rights to former felons after they've served their debt to society.  He is an especially important voice in this issue because he is the Chair of the State and Local Government Committee. 

It's an especially bizarre attack on the bill - citing inequality in the proposed legislation which would automatically restore voting rights to most former felons after they've served their debt to society, while people convicted of more serious crimes would still have to get a pardon from the Governor to be allowed to vote again. 

On multiple occasions, Senator Thayer himself cited this very property of the bill to be a good reason to support it and indicated that further exclusions might be an improvement. 

Please take a moment to speak out in favor of restoring voting rights to former felons who have served their time - in response to Senator Thayer's Op-ed.

- Comment online on the Georgetown News-Graphic Story

- Write a Letter To The Editor in Response

- Respond to Senator Thayer as he requested at 800-372-7181 or damon.thayer@lrc.ky.gov

Georgetown KFTC members had a good monthly meeting on Thursday, with 14 people attending, including a lot of new students from Georgetown College.

We canvassed the Festival of the Horse all this weekend, registering voters and talking about voting rights.

We didn't run into Thayer, but we did have a lot of good conversations and registered a humble number of voters.

We made connections with some likely new active members, built some relationships with the Fraternal Order of Police and Kwanis Club, and we even ran into Beshear's Political Director and talked to him a bit.

In other news, we have a new intern - Kimberly Horne - who is very excited to get involved locally and in Frankfort, moving our voting rights bill forward, and also wants to organize an educational event on campus later this semester.  We're very excited to have her on board.

  

In the last few days, KFTC members have continued to lead an energetic field campaign to connect with people on the issue of restoring voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society. 

Tayna Fogle led a strong voting rights table at the big Lexington Recovery Rally on Friday all afternoon.  Many Lexington recovery houses, including the Chrysalis House as well as our friends at People Advocating Recovery, came together to make the event happen.  Several hundred people participated.  We talked to many people in drug recovery, many of who were former felons.  We registered a few voters and about a hundred people signed postcards in favor of restoring voting rights to former felons.

 
After that, we visited the Kentucky Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (KBC-LEO) at their big annual meeting in Covington  We got to talk about voting rights with 25 African American elected leaders from across the state, many of whom were very enthusiastic about getting involved in the  issue.  On the way home, we visited Grant County (part of Senator Thayer's district) to open a dialogue with local activists about voting rights.  We spoke to the County Judge-Executive, and several others and will expand our efforts there in the future.

Yesterday, KFTC members and allies had a fantastic Voting Rights Stomp in Louisville.

 

We also attended a weekend-long leadership retreat for Georgetown College students, talking learning a lot about community organizing, social justice, and our voting rights campaign.

It was a key space for us to build relationships with student leaders from groups like Student Government, the College Republicans, and various fraternities and sororities.

Our momentum will continue next week with a full calendar, including a meeting with Senator Worley, a Voting Rights meeting in Georgetown on Thursday, a Theater of the Opressed workshop in Louisville, and the Festival of the Horse this weekend.

Today, KFTC members were busy at three different community festivals - getting out and talking to people in our communities about issues that impact us all, registering voters, and inviting people to get involved in KFTC's work to make our Commonwealth a little better.

One event was Georgetown's Festival Latino, hosted by the Hispanic Initiative.  We registered a few voters, got some valuable time at the microphone to talk to the crowd, and generally became a lot more connected to the Latino community in Scott County.

Representative Charlie Hoffman also spoke at the event, encouraging support for passing national health care, including a public option.  He expressed a lot of appreciation for KFTC's recent activity in the community and to the organizers for the Festival Latino as well. 

Throughout the day, we also tabled at the Roots and Heritage Festival, Kentucky's largest annual African American community festival.  We made valuable connections with other organizations, like the Lexington NAACP, and local census employees that we're building a relationship with to make sure that all Kentuckians are counted - especially in hard to count communities.

On top of all of that, some members in Northern Kentucky today participated in a Recovery Rally, spanning the Purple People Bridge into Ohio, holding hands in solidarity across the state line in support of recovery from substance abuse.

Recovery organizations see civic engagement as being a key part of healing and becoming a part of society again - which is why our members talked to many people about restoration of voting rights for former felons who have served their time.

On the Ohio side of the bridge, former felons already get their voting rights back when they've served their time.  Kentucky and Virginia persist as the only two states in the US that take away voting rights from all former felons unless they get a pardon from the Governor. 

Keep an eye on the KFTC Calendar for similar upcoming outreach events including Berea's Spoon Bread Festival next week, the Floyd County Music Festival, Georgetown's Festival of the Horse in early  October, and Recovery Rallies in Covington, Russell County, and Lexington throughout the month.  Come on out and join us next time!

A powerful and diverse group of twenty community members gathered in Georgetown tonight for the local monthly voting rights meeting to talk about recent events and to plan new community outreach.

Two members reported-back on a recent meeting with Senator Damon Thayer.

"I wonder if Senator Thayer realizes that voting is how he got elected," observed new member Willie Gossey after listening the story, "and important voting is to getting him re-elected."

Many members shared stories of recent ground-work in the community, passing out flyers, tabling, and engaging people on the issue of restoring voting rights.

"Once I share a little about myself, people really seem to open up..." said Tayna Fogle, a former felon spokesperson active in the campaign. "They tell me about family members or friends who are former felons and can't vote either."

Jerry Moody also lead a presentation talking about KFTC's history, vision, and statewide program of work. 

"Another thing about KFTC is that we're growing every day," said Jerry.  "And we're not going to give up."

This particular night, we grew by four members as the new people at the meeting turned in their membership envelopes.

 

Homer White lead a piece of the agenda in which we planned future events and members volunteered to help staff them.

Some of our big upcoming events include:

- September 12th – Festival Latino in Georgetown.  Voter registration.

- September 12th – Roots and Heritage Festival in Lexington.  Big Voting Rights Tabling event.

- September 14th – Scott County NAACP Meeting – 7pm at the Scott County Public Library.

- September 17th - Never Alone Meeting - Support group for families of the incarcerated.

- September 23rd - Georgetown Community Connections Meeting – 11:45am Cardome Center Basement.

- September 24th – Rally for Recovery – Lexington 11-7 Triangle Park.

- September 24th – Grant County Democrats Voting Rights Presentation.

- September 26th – Georgetown College Leadership Retreat and KFTC presentation.

- October 1st – Georgetown Voting Rights Meeting.  6:30pm at the Ed Davis Learning Center.

- October 2nd-4th Festival of the Horse – Downtown Georgetown.  Walking with clipboards to register voters and ask people to sign voting rights clipboards.

Members have continued to work in Scott County, building a movement there to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.

We've visited churches, circulated petitions, had presentations at local groups, been a part of community festivals, and registered voters as Georgetown students have arrived back for the start of their semester.

Pictures from a Never Alone meeting in Georgetown - a support group for family members of incarcerated.  A major topic of the meeting was voting rights and how important civic engagement is to reintegrating into society.

A major target of this ground work is Senator Damon Thayer of Georgetown who has refused to bring the issue for a vote in his committee, even as we've passed the Kentucky House with overwhelming support of both Republicans and Democrats.

Two of our members - Gail Ray and Rosanne Klarer - went to speak to Senator Thayer last week.  Both are from Scott County and both have sons who have been convicted of a felony in the past.

I cried for two years and now I'm doing something about it," said Gail.  "My son is in prison and he's taking this opportunity to turn his life around.  I would hope that some day, someone is going to look at my son and tell him that he's really served his time and that he's a full citizen again." 

Thayer seemed impacted by the testimony and even told us that his priest had talked to him about this issue, encouraging him to support it, but said that at this time he still wasn't interested in bringing it up for a vote.

Our next Voting Rights community meeting in Georgetown is Tomorrow (Thursday) at 6:30pm at the Ed David Learning Center (151 Ed Davis Ln, Georgetown).  If you live in or near Scott County, please consider coming out to join us.