Restoration Campaign Update
January 2008
Citizen lobbying so far has focused on bringing co-sponsors last year back onto the bill, and is starting to focus on lining up House Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee votes in preparation of a hearing on February 5th at 8 a.m.
"Knowing that Rep. Jim Glenn became a co-sponsor for HB 70 after my group talked to him gives me a sense of accomplishment for participating in the legislative process,” said Central Kentucky member Jenn Myatt. “It would be great if many other people came to the lobby day on [February] 28th to experience this as well. As a volunteer lobbyist, I’ve learned that you can make a real difference."
Members are also continuing to keep up the ground work to raise public awareness of the issue in communities across the state, by getting hundreds of postcards to legislators signed, passing out hundreds of handbills about the issue in the recent Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March in Lexington earlier this week, and planning future public education events (please schedule one in your area along with your local organizer!)
There are lots of upcoming events, but the largest is the big focus lobby day on February 28th. KFTC will head up the citizen lobbying effort that day, along with many ally organizations. Coalition partner People Advocating Recovery (PAR) is in the process of mobilizing former felons and other people in recovery by the hundreds to also come out that day, to rally and speak out on Restoration.
“We want to empty the recovery houses all over the state and bring hundreds of former felons and supporters out on Feb 28th," said Tayna Fogle, a former felons spokesperson who has put a lot of effort into bringing the day together.
In other exciting news, Representative Jody Richards, Speaker of the House, recently joined many other legislators in co-sponsoring this bill – a strong sign that House leadership supports this bill. KFTC members hope that we can pass the bill through the House quickly so we can spend as much time as possible educating members of the Senate, where the bill faltered last year.
Previous updates
April 2007
Voting Rights Bill Gets through House, stalls in Senate
The 2007 General Assembly was a big time for work on restoration of voting rights for former felons who have served their debt to society.
HB 70, sponsored by Rep. Jesse Crenshaw and supported by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and other allies would change the Kentucky Constitution to restore voting rights to former felons after their jail time, probation, parole, and fines are paid.
"All folks should be equal!” explains Archie Fields, a KFTC Member from Letcher County. “If they've served their time, they should be given the right to vote. Everyone deserves a chance. They pay taxes; they should be allowed to vote."
During the General Assembly, KFTC focused on bringing up supportive citizens from across the Commonwealth to talk to their legislators face-to-face and let them know why they care about this issue.
"One on one communication with senators and representatives is very important because it puts a face on the organization. It is indicative to the legislator that we're continuously active in following and supporting the bills," said Ruth McDonald of Louisville.
"Lobbying empowers you. It makes you realize how important your vote is," reflected Tina Spear, of Louisville, a JCTC student who lobbied the bill with KFTC.
On February 27th, KFTC spearheaded a massive grassroots focus lobby day on Voting Rights that brought out around 100 people from all over the state. Allies like the League of Women Voters, People Advocating Recovery, and the Kentucky Alliance mobilized support and we also attracted students from JCTC, UK, and other schools.
“It was a really great day - I think this might have been the most diverse group we’ve ever brought to Frankfort to lobby,” said Central KY KFTC member Dave Anderson.
Many members remarked that we had a multitude of productive conversations with legislators, some lobby teams having as many as four solid legislator meetings.
“It was effective – I think the legislators really heard our arguments; the personal stories we brought to really seemed to get through to legislators,” said Central KY KFTC member Joe Gallenstein, “It really helped for legislators to see how many of us there were in the hallways too.”
"We need to stand with our brothers and sisters. They don't deserve a life sentence. We want them to be a part of the family, to work hard, and vote," said Tom Moffett, a Kentucky Alliance member from Louisville.
At the end of the focus lobby, over 60 participants lined the tunnel from the Capitol Annex to the Capitol through which most legislators traveled, all holding signs and smiling as legislators walked by and saw the outpouring of support behind the bill.
“The energy of the day was just phenomenal,” remarked Jefferson County KFTC Member Mary Dan Easley.
HB 70 was heard on the House floor the very next day and passed 70-28 with some lively debate.
Unfortunately, the bill was killed by senate leadership who assigned the bill to the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee and it was never heard in that committee.
Moving the bill through the House to the Senate did give KFTC valuable time to put pressure on all members of the Senate, though, through meetings, hundreds of postcards, and over 1,000 phone calls to Senators over just a few days.
KFTC and the Restoration of Voting Rights Coalition will continue to press this issue in the next General Assembly and we’ll spend the time in-between by building support community-by-community. Activities planned include more showings of the movie Democracy’s Ghosts, door-to-door voter education, education of the gubernatorial candidates on this issue, developing a larger community of former felons as spokespeople and much more.
Eventually, winning in the General Assembly will mean that the issue will go to a vote of the people, which means KFTC will have to be ready to mobilize many thousands of supporters during the election.
"This is huge,” said KFTC member and former felon Tayna Fogle, summing up the focus lobby day in February. “My grandmother and people who got beat up by dogs to win our right to vote--that's what this is about. Martin Luther King Jr. had a tough fight, but he marched on. This is a tough fight, but we'll carry on. Come back and bring someone with you!"
May 2006
Campaign Partners Make Post General Assembly Plans
The Restoration Of Voting Rights Campaign, which has brought this issue before the public and pushed House Bill 480, met on April 16 to evaluate the 2006 legislative session and plan for the coming months. House Bill 480 would have provided for a statewide referendum this fall about the automatic restoration of voting rights for any felon upon completion their sentence. Introduced by Rep. Jesse Crenshaw with 17 cosponsors, the bill was never called for a hearing.
They decided to hold press conferences in Lexington and Louisville on May 16, coinciding with the primary elections, to highlight the inability of former felons to participate in the democratic process.
Ron Barrow's Story
Ron Barrow, a former felon from Lincoln County, said that he applied for the restoration of his voting rights in August 2003 and still has not gotten his rights back.
“I wanted them back because I felt the 2004 election was the most important on in my lifetime.”
He wants to vote in the 2006 elections. “I think it is important. I think we can have an effect on the local level and that is where we can change things,” Barrow said.
Kentucky is one of only three states where felons loose their voting rights for life unless a pardon is received from the governor, which happens for only a small fraction of disenfranchised voters. Governor Ernie Fletcher has made the process even more difficult than previous administrations by requiring written essays and a broader review process.
New Study Details Restoration Frustrations
A study, Losing the Right To Vote: Perceptions of Permanent Disenfranchisement and the Civil Rights Restoration Application Process in the State of Kentucky, was released in April. Researcher Elizabeth A. Wahler of University of Kentucky found that a “large majority” of uld. former felons interviewed would likely vote again if they co
The report further concluded that the felons interviewed lacked information or had misinformation about the restoration process. Writing an essay as to why they wanted their voting rights back was also a roadblock.
As one subject said, “I don’t think it is fair at all. Everyone probably cannot write an essay or, some people can’t even write. And a lot of people don’t understand the process of writing an essay or a formal letter. So it is not fair to everybody. Some people can and some can’t, so it is just not fair.”
Thirty percent of respondents did not have a high school diploma or a GED, and 83 percent of respondents had little or no experience in writing formal letters of essays.
Wahler pointed to rising incarceration rates, which make this issue even more significant. From 1970 to 2000 the population has risen 40 percent while incarceration rates are up 500 percent.
“The latest available statistics from Kentucky show that almost 18,000 prisoner were incarcerated in January 2005, and an additional 33,000 people were on probation and 7,500 were on parole," Wahler reported. "African Americans were represented disproportionately in the Kentucky’s criminal justice system just as they are in the United States’ criminal justice system as a whole. While African Americans make up 7.3 percent of the state population, they comprise 31 percent of the total prison population.”
Campaign Will Sponsor Survey
Recognizing the need to build public awareness around this issue, the Voting Rights Campaign plans to sponsor a statewide survey conducted by the University of Kentucky Survey Research Center to assess awareness and understanding of this issue.
— Compiled by Janet Tucker