March 3, 2015 at 04:53pm
We will be live streaming the final Senate State and Local Government Committee hearing of this legislative session tomorrow, March 4 at noon. This committee hearing will be the last opportunity of the year for the Senate to move our Restoration of Voting Rights amendment (HB 70).
March 2, 2015 at 11:30am
Last Thursday nearly 200 people gathered in the rotunda to share prayer, cheers, stories of triumph, and a call for the General Assembly to do one simple thing: "Let Us Vote".
February 24, 2015 at 09:38am
This Thursday (February 26th) members of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and allies will be gathering at the Capitol for a focus lobby day and rally in support of voting rights for former felons, and ask the Kentucky General Assembly to Let Us V
February 16, 2015 at 05:19pm
Where are we, Louisville? How is our local narrative fitting into larger regional, statewide and national social conditions?
Louisville, like the rest of the country, has become a place with a more visible and increased militarized police presence. Less than a year ago our local media in conjunction with with many elected officials and police, used an incident with young people downtown to funnel over $200,000 into more surveillance and policing of youth of color particularly along the Waterfront and new areas of “urban” development. Young people were framed as rioting and dangerous. The damaging effects of this increase in the policing of young people can be seen in the case of the Misidentified 4, where young men from our community were brutalized and whose families have been vocal about the need for a civilian review board.
February 16, 2015 at 03:24pm
People of faith have a long tradition of standing together against injustice. There are many passages throughout spiritual texts calling for people of faith to work for justice and fight against oppression. Also, many social justice advocates have channeled their faith when leading social change movements.
During the 2015 General Assembly, KFTC members and fellow voting rights advocates are joining together in prayer, song and testimony to put pressure on Kentucky’s Senate leadership to pass a proposed constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to nearly a quarter million Kentuckians.
January 28, 2015 at 11:21am
KFTC members and allies are planning a series of public actions with the message of “Let Us Vote” during the upcoming legislative session. These efforts are aimed at winning passage of a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to nearly a quarter million Kentuckians. As U.S.
September 15, 2014
Cincinnati Enquirer
Felons won't let up on state lawmakers in Kentucky until they get the right to vote.
September 24, 2014 at 11:57am
With the voter registration deadline being only 11 days away, KFTC is vigorously registering voters across Kentucky. On Tuesday, September 23rd we participated in the National Voter Registration Day and hosted 16 voter registration drives across Kentucky!
August 7, 2014 at 06:39pm
We Did It!!!
Louisville Metro Council once again made history last month by passing the Resolution supporting the Restoration of Voting Rights to Former Felons in Kentucky with a unanimous vote of 19-0!
Going into the July 24 Metro Council hearing, the Resolution had 11 bi-partisan co-sponsors. Once the Resolution was brought to the floor for discussion, five more Metro Council members (bi-partisan, again!) signed on as co-sponsors. With no opposition on Metro Council, or from the chambers, the Resolution passed, with several Metro Council members going on record about why voting rights matter, and why this resolution is so important.
May 21, 2014 at 03:49pm
KFTC members traveled to Nashville on May 8th to participate in the National Commission on Voting Rights’ regional hearing that was organized by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Tayna Fogle was called as an expert witness on the panel to discuss disenfranchisement of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, while Teddi Smith-Robillard, Bonifacio Aleman, and Honey Dozier all attended to give public testimony as directly effected individuals. The panel lasted for four hours and covered a range of issues around voting rights, including election administration, dilution of minority power and redistricting, equal access to the political process, the impact of voter ID, and of course felony disenfranchisement. The regional hearing consisted of testimony from Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.
Members traveled to Nashville and sat for hours through the hearing to share their personal stories. “I feel it is necessary to reveal the discrepancies in the process to restore felons' civil rights to the rest of the nation,” Honey Dozer of KFTC and Jobs with Justice said after sharing her personal experience. Bonifacio Aleman, also with KFTC and Jobs with Justice, made it clear to the panel why he attended the hearing by saying, “Why do I care about voting? Because that is where our power lies.” And, Teddi Smith-Robillard shared her personal story and also challenged everyone to take action: “We need to take this issue to the streets because people aren’t listening.”
