Voting Rights in the News

We're playing a little catchup today, posting some recent news stories about our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society, starting with an especially strong one from today's Danville Advocate-Messenger

FRANKFORT — Tayna Fogle’s grandmother always was excited when she got to vote. It was an excitement Fogle couldn’t initially grasp. But then Fogle made some bad decisions and wound up a convicted felon facing a 10-year sentence.

After serving her time, which ended up being just under seven years in prison, Fogle was released, her debt paid. She was free but still couldn’t do one thing she wanted to do: vote.

And that’s when she understood her grandmother’s excitement.

"I didn’t understand it at first until my rights were taken away from me,â€ she said. "I still get emotional just remembering how I felt.â€

Kentucky is one of the most stringent states when it comes to giving voting rights to convicted felons. Once convicted felons have completed their sentences and paid all restitution, they can only have their voting rights restored through an executive pardon from the governor. 

To read the full Danville Advocate-Messenger story, click HERE.