Cuccinelli U-turns on restoring voting rights to non-violent felons

Politics and Social Issues
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I tend to fall on the side of liberal arguments, but I feel that it’s worth giving props to Republicans who make a good moral choice contrary to official party posturing. In this case, this Virginian Republican Attorney General switched positions on allowing convicted felons to vote after finishing their sentencing, citing “felony creep.”
I would go farther, that people should be able to vote while in prison, too. But IMHO it’s a step in the right direction.

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I think it is a good idea too, you got my vote.

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For a country that holds freedom sacred, we are #1 in the world for incarcerating people. We currently have 2.5 million people in jail.
But I suspect Republicans would never allow voting rights for felons. I would not be surprised if 90% of people in jail would vote democrat.

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While they’re at it, perhaps Democrats could also support restoring gun rights to non-violent felons as well.

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I’ll throw my hat in the ring and vote for NO voting rights for felons while incarcerated, but those rights should be fully restored when they have finished their sentence and those felons who committed a crime with a firearm should Lose those rights permanently, never to regain them.
Cap’t Jack

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While they're at it, perhaps Democrats could also support restoring gun rights to non-violent felons as well.
I agree. IMO, background checks are necessary only to identify those with a record of violence or potentially dangerous mental condition. But I also believe that background checks be mandatory for all gun sales. Here is a possible compromise to avoid the possibility of a registry being formed from gun-sale background checks. Anyone can have a voluntary background check on themselves. If comes back clean, then one can present it to the gun seller and a copy can be kept by the seller to show that at the time of sale the person voluntarily presented a clean CDC. It costs about 50.00 to walk into a government office and request a CDC. If you are prepared to spend 1000.00 on a weapon, 50 bucks is a minor inconvenience. All healthcare professionals, including CNAs are required to have a CDC. Almost all companies handling sensitive materials now require a CDC. It is not a major inconvenience and will protect the seller from liability suits.
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I'll throw my hat in the ring and vote for NO voting rights for felons while incarcerated, but those rights should be fully restored when they have finished their sentence and those felons who committed a crime with a firearm should Lose those rights permanently, never to regain them. Cap't Jack
The reason why I disagree with this is because of the potential for abuse of the 'felony' category by a majority. Once a person has their voting rights taken away (or gives them away) they get no legal say in the lawmaking process whatsoever. Not to mention that people in prison are physically separated from the rest of society and thus will have a very hard time exerting social influence, too. If the felony categories become ridiculous, it becomes virtually impossible for the punished to fight for balance in the laws. In the article, the writer noted the example that in Virginia, stealing $200 is a felony, and the theif had no option but to petition the Governor to have those rights restored. Most people think of felons as being radically dangerous criminals, but with very weak or no checks on constraining that definition, it will eventually become abused. And our courts seem to have no particular concern with consistency via "cruel and unusual punishment." Retaining voting rights for criminals is one possible check on this potential.
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“they get no legal say in the lawmaking process whatsoever.”
They can lobby legally. :slight_smile:

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"they get no legal say in the lawmaking process whatsoever." They can lobby legally. :-)
Okay, how effective is that for people in prison?
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Here’s a thought on this subject:
I wonder if there are demographics available on this. What percentage of the population in the U.S. is in this category of non-voting status due to criminal punishment? What percentage of those are out of prison? What are the demographics of this population?

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"they get no legal say in the lawmaking process whatsoever." They can lobby legally. :-)
Okay, how effective is that for people in prison? I don't know of any scientific comparisons of the effectiveness of lobbying by mail rather than lobbying in person, so I can't say. But in any case, I was addressing this statement: "Once a person has their voting rights taken away (or gives them away) they get no legal say in the lawmaking process whatsoever." That group appears to encompass all persons with voting rights removed, not just those in prison. The subsequent sentence in that post started dealing particularly with those literally in prison. Nonetheless, people lobby by mail, and it's part of the political process. http://www.preservationnation.org/information-center/law-and-policy/lobbying-101/Lobbying-Techniques.html
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Ah, point taken. :slight_smile: