Why have election laws?

[Pongo]

Florida actually has no right to deny out of state felons who have had thier voting rights returned to them the right to vote. The right was removed by another state and returned by another state. It has nothing to do with florida.  But this issue really has nothing to do with that. The people deprived of thier votes were not felons. They were Blacks with the same names as felons.

[midnight Target]

Originally posted by JBA
yes it was Lautenberg, Frank. that was "selected" less then 30 days before the election because Torecelli couldn't win. This is in violation of NJ election law; The SJC of NJ got it wrong.
Up hold the law not create the law

1. It was 36 days
2. The court ruled that state law didn't rule out the possibility of a vacant candidacy within 51 days of the election.
3. The US Supreme Court Refused to hear GOP appeal.

In this case a ruling for the Republicans would have in essence "created law".

[AKIron]

Originally posted by Pongo
It wasnt felons that where deprived of thier votes. It was Blacks with the same last names as felons. Even white felons.

19000 of them apperently. Do you have a problem with that? I bet you dont.

Guess I wasn't clear. From one of the not so interesting sites I found whining about 204,000 people denied the vote simply because they were convicted felons.

I still maintain that there were not 19,000 people mistakenly denied their vote. Do you have a reference?

[AKIron]

Originally posted by capt. apathy
I see no reason to not allow fellons to vote (once their time is served and parol over of course)

Considering the laxity of our justice system I see plenty of reason some of these people should never walk our streets again, much less vote. However, they most certainly do walk our streets. Guess you have no problem with that guy that raped a young girl, cut off her arms and left her to die voting for more lenient laws regarding pedophiles?

[capt. apathy]

the failing wouldn't be in letting him vote, it would be in letting him out.

once someones debt is paid they should be allowed to vote again.  

how do you expect to get someone to become a functioning, cooperative part of society, when you have laws in place to insure this never happens.

[DoctorYO]

Nothing in this country should inhibit your ability to vote with exception of being in jail, or not paying your taxes..

If you did cut off the little girls arms raped her and then get let out of prison who's fault is that...  If the laws had teeth vs violent crime then this discussion would be moot..  Some felonies involve economical reasons.  And as such should not inhibit a citizen of this country to have a valid vote..

Violating someones abiltiy to vote should be one of the steepest penalties this country could give..  Becuase it effectively forces taxation without representation.. (thats pretty steep imo)

Violent perps should be kept in jail.. plain and simple...  as apposed to non- violent dopers clogging the system at the public's expense..



DoctorYo

[AKIron]

However, they did fail, they did let this guy out and he murdered someone thereafter.

Some actions demonstrate an inability to be trusted, forever. You step across that line when you commit a felony. Sure, some may turn themselves around and become productive members of society but they have still forever forfeited a certain amount of trust. Some things just cannot be undone.

[Red Tail 444]

Originally posted by AKIron
Considering the laxity of our justice system I see plenty of reason some of these people should never walk our streets again, much less vote. However, they most certainly do walk our streets.  

So should white collar criminals also be denied the right to vote? or, since all they do is milk millions from honest people, and not commit a violent crime, maybe that's OK?

IMO if you denied WCCs their right to vote, the ensuing legal bloodbath, and the resultant tumbleweeds blowing through our government buildings, at all levels, would be quite a sight to see...

[Pongo]

That is an interesting opinion AKIron. But its not the law of your country. The question is what laws where broken.

I think your not looking to hard for the story I told you about.

Here is a start.
harpers

[AKIron]

I read it Pongo. Felons are not allowed to vote in Florida unless they get permission. Florida simply made a list of felons from a lot of states to ensure they didn't vote in Florida. Nothing illegal about that. Nothing about 19,000 in that article though. Also, I must  say that that article was disingenous in comparing the number of felons in the US to the Florida voting population. Implying that sonehow 1% of Florida voters were disenfranchised based on this comparison.

[Pongo]

Originally posted by AKIron
I read it Pongo. Felons are not allowed to vote in Florida unless they get permission. Florida simply made a list of felons from a lot of states to ensure they didn't vote in Florida. Nothing illegal about that. Nothing about 19,000 in that article though. Also, I must  say that that article was disingenous in comparing the number of felons in the US to the Florida voting population. Implying that sonehow 1% of Florida voters were disenfranchised based on this comparison.

No they didnt.
They took lists from other states(the one from Texas was 95% wrong for some reason) then had a computer program written to find out which Smith in a certain area of Miami was White Felon Smith that moved to Miami from Maryland 2 years ago. They wrote the program so that it was always black citizen smith that was a felon. Always.  10 black smiths living in the same area would lose thier vote. But no white smith. Even white felon smith would lose theirs.

Maybe thats why so many americans dont know about this. It must be hard to understand.

Original numbers were 23000 but right in that article they point out 1000s and 1000s of errors that they found just reviewing the lists. Over 5000 felons commited crimes in 2007 and were barred from the 2000 election. How does that work?

[AKIron]

All these supposed barrings from voting and yet they listed what, four names? One of which was a convicted felon.