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.”
April 30, 2014 at 06:28pm
The Saturday before the Kentucky primary election voter registration deadline, Jefferson County Chapter of KFTC organized Bike the Vote, a pop-up voter registration drive in West Louisville. Eighteen people volunteered to register voters, some riding bikes between the four pop-up locations; two grocery stores and two parks. After four hours and eight miles of biking, the group registered 40 voters. Chapter members registered a total of 84 voters during the week of April 14.
April 16, 2014 at 04:37pm
Yesterday, April 15, was the final day of the 2014 regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly. Supporters of legislation to allow for the automatic restoration of voting rights for most former felons once they have completed their sentence (House Bill 70) gave the Kentucky Senate yet another chance to pass this meaningful legislation.
April 11, 2014 at 02:46pm
Our community lost a strong leader the 7th of this month with the passing of April Browning. Her strong voice for justice and equality could be heard on many fronts. In about every speech April gave it often started out with, "First and foremost, I'm a mom." She said in one interview, "My son Elijah . . . makes every day worth living and special . . . That's the first and most important thing you need to know about me." She went on to explain, "But after that, it's really important to me to take initiative to make my community a better place - for Elijah and everyone else."
April was a board member of Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice. She was the inspiration and one of the founders of Occupy Lexington in 2011. Her voice was heard at the rallies organized by Kentuckians Against the War On Women. She was a spokesperson around the restoration of voting rights for former felons in Kentucky and for Kentuckians For The Commonwealth.
April was born in Flint, Michigan, but grew up in Central Kentucky. She understood first hand the struggle of low-income parents in Kentucky. She understood first hand being denied rights as a former felon for a mistake long past paid for. She understood the struggle of the 99% against the 1%.
In her words, "I am politically active and I feel that my voice as well as thousands of other Kentuckians' voices should be heard. ... I'm fighting for progress across the board and this fight is personal."
We mourn the loss of her leadership and activism, but her spirit will remain with us as the struggle continues.
April 2, 2014 at 04:22pm
One of the most powerful ways our members spoke out this legislative session was in prayer. Pastor Anthony Everett from Nia Community of Faith in Lexington led three Witnessing Wednesday prayer vigils in the lobby of the Senate offices to lift up HB70 and the issue of restoring voting rights to former felons once they served their time. 
The vigils took place at 11:30 a.m. on March 12th, 19th, and 26th and included prayer, song, testimony, and information about the issue. More than 40 people gathered at the last vigil, including Senators Reggie Thomas, Alice Forgy-Kerr, and Gerald Neal, highlighting the bi-partisan support for this issue. The vigils brought together advocates from across the state, including members of KFTC, The Council of Churches, Fairness, Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition, faith leaders from various denominations and faith traditions, and more. People across the state and nation were invited to pray and could join the vigil on livestream.
March 28, 2014 at 12:50pm
Earlier this month the Jefferson County Chapter of KFTC partnered with Network Center for Community Change (NC3) to host a Legislative Call-in Party focused on House Bill 70, the bill that seeks to restore voting rights to former felons who have paid their debt to society. KFTC members joined NC3 members at their office to call the Legislative Message Line (1-800-372-7181) and leave messages for their senators and all senators asking them to recede to the House version of HB70. Members also took to social media to encourage their friends and family to do their part to support HB 70.
