Busy week for Voting Rights

This week, we had a lot of activity around our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society and in support of house bill 70.

- We had a small lobby day in Frankfort Wednesday in which three members of our statewide Restoration Strategy Team talked to legislators and picked up co-sponsors for HB 70.  With these efforts and others, there are now already ten co-sponsors on our bill.

- Tayna Fogle visited the 847K event in Louisville, getting aver a hundred people to sign postcards to legislators about voting rights.

- Former Felon spokesperson George Moorman visited three Georgetown college classes throughout Thusday, talking to them about voting rights and encouraging people to take action.

"(after I got out of jail) I went back to my community to try to make things better, Gorge Moorman said.  " I did a lot of bad things and people learned from my example.  I decided I needed to do at least as many good things and to help people to make things better... It's what I've done with my life ever since."

"I have my right to vote because I know some influential people and I know how to work the system.  Former felons shouldn't have to have that advantage to be able to vote again and they shouldn't have to go through what I went through."                            - George Moorman

- UK KFTC and allies (including the College Republicans and the College Democrats) put together a restoration event including Tayna Fogle and Rep Jesse Crenhaw to teach students about  the issue and to help them take action.

"This issue is more important than partisan politics...," said Jacob Sims, President of the UK College Republicans, in support of HB 70.  "It's about the basic right to vote and the foundation of our democracy.  It's about doing what's right."

- Janet Tucker visited our allies at Focus in north Lexington to talk about Restoration.

- We held a Restoration of Voting Rights Call-in Day on Thursday, having many dozens of people call the legislative message line from events across the state and hundreds more calling from their homes in response to email and other appeals.  Nearly 500 people pledged to call through Facebook alone.

Next week will be an even larger week for HB 70 including our major focus lobby day, press conference, and our first committee hearing, all on Tuesday.

Please join us on Tuesday in Frankfort and keep picking up the phone and calling your legislators.

We can pass restoration of voting rights to former felons who have served their time - if we all work together!