Posted by: KFTC Staff on January 18, 2019
KFTC's primary strategy for restoring voting rights to Kentuckians with felonies in their past is to change Kentucky's Constitution to permanently grant the right to vote to all 312,000 Kentuckians who don't have the right to vote now. KFTC's Voting Rights Strategy Team, made up of directly effected people and other members from all over the state, decided additionally get involved in a lawsuit arguing that the current system is arbitrary and unconstitutional.
Our most immediate task is to find people who have lost their right to vote to join our list of plaintiffs for the case.
If you do not have the right to vote because of felony disenfranchisement in Kentucky and you're off of probation and parole, and you'd like to join the lawuit as a plaintiff, please reach out to Dave Newton as soon as possible at [email protected] or 859-420-8919. Our deadline to reach out to people to add them is Friday, January 25.
Below is the press release sent out by our allies about the case.
Posted by: Joe Gallenstein on January 18, 2019
The Rolling Bluegrass chapter will again be celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by working the local Georgetown - Scott County NAACP.
Posted by: Joe Gallenstein on January 18, 2019
Ther Northern Kentucky chapter is celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on January 18, 2019
Our allies at the League of Women Voters released the results of a public poll of Kentuckians this week showing overwhelming support for Voting Rights for people with felonies in their past. Their news release is below.
LANG HOUSE, LOUISVILLE, KY: According to a poll released today by the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, a majority of Kentuckians, across political affiliation, gender and age categories, support the automatic restoration of voting rights for persons convicted of felonies who have completed sentencing.
Overall support is 2-1 with 66% in favor and 32% opposed, according to a December 2018 statewide poll of Kentucky voters. This polling indicates that the highest support for automatic restoration is from those 18-34 years of age with approval at 83% and disapproval at 16%.
Kentucky male voters support approval with 63% approving and 36% not approving. Kentucky women voters support automatic restoration by a large majority with 69% approving and 29% not approving.
Posted by: Alexa Hatcher on January 17, 2019
On Tuesday, January 8, Kentuckians gathered at their Capitol for the first day of the 2019 legislative session.
Posted by: Joe Gallenstein on January 14, 2019
Last year a proposal came forward to do away with the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) regulatory mission.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on January 7, 2019
This weekend, KFTC's Voting Rights Strategy Team met in Frankfort with 27 members from all over the state coming together to lay a ground work for victories that will restore voting rights to Kentuckians who don't have the right to vote. True to our organizing values, many of the people attending have had their right to vote taken away and are fighting to get it back for themselves and the 312,000 other Kentuckians who can't vote now because of our regressive felony disenfranchisement laws.
Kentucky is one of just two states in the U.S. now that take away voting rights from everyone with any kind of felony in their past for the rest of their life unless they can take the extraordinary step of getting their rights restored through a governor's pardon or expungement. Just last November, Florida 65% of voters approved a ballot amendment supporting the restoration of voting rights, inspiring many in Kentucky to believe more than a decade of effort may be closer to success..
It was an important space for the team members to get to know each other and root themselves in the many reasons why this issue is important to them – from a sense of fairness to a commitment to Democracy, a need to fight racism, or a faith that values redemption. Mostly people talked about the need to get justice for people with felonies in their past to vote because they're personally impacted – by having their own rights taken away or because they know and love someone who without the right to vote.
"I want my rights back. I paid my dues to society. I’ve been out of trouble since 2003. Y’all do the math. That’s 16 years. For me to be told that I don’t have my rights to vote, it crushed me. I will not stop until I get my rights back to vote, because I am somebody. What does democracy look like? This in this room is what democracy looks like. I will not stop the fight until we all get our rights back.” — Corey Logan from Fayette County
Posted by: KFTC Staff on December 29, 2018
In 2019, Kentuckians will vote on our next Governor and in 5 other statewide races (Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General, Auditor, and Secretary of Agricuture).
Posted by: KFTC Staff on December 17, 2018
KFTC is working for a healthy democracy--one that encourages people to vote, and that honors processes that uphold checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power.
Governor Bevin just called a Special Session beginning tonight at 8:00pm eastern. The purpose of the Special Session is to try to ram through the policies of the so-called “sewer bill,” which was passed in a way that was recently ruled unconstitutional by the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on December 5, 2018
KFTC Steering Committee members found a lot of positives to lift up as they evaluated KFTC’s electoral work in 2018, even as they recognized the need for bigger and better efforts in the coming yea
