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Alabama Gov. vetoes felon Voting Rights Bill

 
 
Reply Fri 18 Jul, 2003 05:47 pm
Florida's Catherine Harris must be giving Republican Governor Riley advice on how to reduce voter registration voting rights of Democrats.
-----BumbleBeeBoogie

Civil Rights Leaders in Alabama to Protest Veto of Felon Voting Rights Bill
By Jon Krawczynski Associated Press Writer
Published: Jul 18, 2003

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Hundreds of protesters marched to the state Capitol on Friday as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and other civil rights leaders decried Gov. Bob Riley's veto of a bill to restore voting rights for some felons.

The crowd marched several blocks to the Capitol steps carrying signs that read "Ex-felons are citizens too" and singing "We Shall Overcome." Speakers said Riley's veto reneged on an agreement with black legislators.

The bill would have returned voting rights to former felons who have completed their sentences and paid all fines and restitution. It would not have applied to felons convicted of some crimes, including murder, rape, sodomy, child molestation and treason.

Black legislators had said that the felon voting legislation and a voter identification measure sought by Republicans were supposed to travel together through the legislative process, and both passed in June.

Riley signed only the voter identification bill, angering black legislators.

"For the governor to renege and sign one bill into law and leave the other one out there hanging, we won't tolerate that," said state Rep. Yvonne Kennedy, a Democrat.

Earlier in the day, crime victim advocates voiced support for Riley's veto, saying the bill would have allowed too many violent offenders to get their rights back. Barbi Whiting, who has been in a wheelchair since being shot by a stalker in 1980, criticized the bill and the protest.

"I don't feel like it's right," said Whiting, who is black. Under the bill Riley vetoed, her attacker would have his voting rights restored.

David Azbell, spokesman for Riley, said the crime victims' support "has made the governor even more confident that he made the right choice."

Jackson has spent time in Alabama the last two weeks criticizing the governor's actions and pushing for reform in the state's prison system.
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williamhenry3
 
  1  
Reply Fri 18 Jul, 2003 10:22 pm
BumbleBee<

Gov. Bob Riley is a former GOP congressman from Alabama. He was among the most conservative members of Congress while he served.

In the true Republican tradition, he holds daily prayer sessions with staff.
Believing in the Christian doctrine that the poor should be taken care of,
he has recently dumbfounded his GOP handlers by proposing the largest
tax increase ($1.8 billion) in Alabama's history.

With the help of the Democrat majority, Gov. Riley was able to shove his tax package through the Alabama legislature. Alabama's GOP bigwigs are
now aghast over a man they thought would be a fiscal, as well as social,
conservative.

Gov. Riley's GOP friends are campaigning against the tax package which will go before the state's voters in September. The Republicans are upset because the taxes will place a huge burden on where it's not been, i.e. big business.

Riley is creating quite a stir in the state of which he's only been governor since January '03. I think it's wonderful, too, that he's confounded Alabama's Republicans.
:wink:
0 Replies
 
roger
 
  1  
Reply Fri 18 Jul, 2003 11:31 pm
Re: Alabama Gov. vetoes felon Voting Rights Bill
BumbleBeeBoogie wrote:
Florida's Catherine Harris must be giving Republican Governor Riley advice on how to reduce voter registration voting rights of Democrats.
-----BumbleBeeBoogie

Civil Rights Leaders in Alabama to Protest Veto of Felon Voting Rights Bill
By Jon Krawczynski Associated Press Writer
Published: Jul 18, 2003

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Hundreds of protesters marched to the state Capitol on Friday as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and other civil rights leaders decried Gov. Bob Riley's veto of a bill to restore voting rights for some felons.


Gotcha, Aunt Bea! Unless you really meant to equate Democrates with felons! Very Happy
0 Replies
 
Craven de Kere
 
  1  
Reply Sat 19 Jul, 2003 01:17 am
roger stole my line. This is a vey interesting article and I was unaware of voting issues for State Penn alums.
0 Replies
 
BumbleBeeBoogie
 
  1  
Reply Sat 19 Jul, 2003 08:31 am
Roger
Roger, actually I don't think you got me. I doubt there are many African- Americans registered as Republicans. You will recall that Catherine Harris et al went after felons whom they suspected were African-American in Florida. They were targeted by residential area where racial clusters were easily identified.

I'm sure they didn't care if a few non-African-Americans got swept up in the voter list purge so long as they got rid of a lot people in the racially clustered areas with a dominance of non-Republican voters. Their goal was to decimate Democrat voters and they used the felon purge as an excuse and means to accomplish that goal.

BumbleBeeBoogie
0 Replies
 
fishin
 
  1  
Reply Sat 19 Jul, 2003 08:57 am
Re: Roger
BumbleBeeBoogie wrote:
You will recall that Catherine Harris et al went after felons whom they suspected were African-American in Florida. They were targeted by residential area where racial clusters were easily identified.


Pure BS. The law in FL said that felons weren't allowed to vote and that law has been in place since 1868. Your attempt to spin that into Harris going after blacks is BS. She didn't make the law and she didn't decide who would commit crimes. She was directed to *automate* the process of IDing felons after felons and dead people elected a mayor in Miami.

There obvioulsy were problems with how the the list of felons was put together but the jump to the conclusion that the list was made just to targets blacks is nothing but delusion and was proven to be false by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

A few facts from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights:

- The original list had 42,389 people on it
- That list was reviewed months prior to the election and ended up with a total of 19,398 actually removed from the voter rolls.
- All 19,000+ of those people were notified by letter 2 months prior to the election that they were ineligible to vote because of their felony record.
- 5,400 people responded to those letters with an appeal of the decision and 2,500 of them were cleared and returned to the voter rolls. The remainder were in fact felons and were left on the list.
- A grand total of 108 legitimate voters were actually prevented from casting ballots.
0 Replies
 
BumbleBeeBoogie
 
  1  
Reply Sat 19 Jul, 2003 09:03 am
Fishin
Fishin, I don't know your information source, but it doesn't match the proceeding documentation I've read. I also watched the daily proceedings on TV and my recall of the testimony doesn't match your claim.

---BumbleBeeBoogie
0 Replies
 
 

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