We didn't win. But we didn't lose, either.

With just one final work day of the Legislative Session ahead of us on April 12th, it has become procedurally impossible for our voting rights bill (HB 70) to clear the remaining steps to pass on the Senate floor, absent some miraculous bending of Senate rules that would be too much to hope for at this point.

Looking back at this Session, we got 20 co-sponsors, brought hundreds of people to Frankfort, had teams of former felons and others talking to legislators 2-3 days a week, produced hundreds or even thousands of calls to the legislative message line, developed new spokespeople, worked with new allies, held a powerful rally and mass lobby day in Frankfort, and even built more support in the mainstream media in some cases, and created our own far-reaching media in others. 

We built more support amongst Republican Senators than ever before and got the bill moved to Senate Judiciary for the first time too, followed by several productive meetings with the chair of that committee.  But it just wasn't quite enough to pass this year.

You can look back to recent reports and pictures of some of our other Voting Rights work on this blog here. 

So take a moment to really think about what we have accomplished, work out some of that well-placed frustration, and take a deep breath.

Because looking ahead, there are a number of 2012 opportunities for us and there is still a path to winning a 2013 or 2014 legislative victory and ratifying it at the polls in 2014:

Electoral Work - There's a May 22nd Primary Election and November 6th General Election that will determine the makeup of the new state Senate and House.  We'll be asking candidates where they stand on this issue and will be publishing their answers to our members and other supporters which we'll be mobilizing to vote and that could make all the difference in influencing the new Senate. 

Governor Beshear - We're also planning on focusing on Governor Beshear at this point.  He has the ability to issue a blanket partial pardon to restore the rights of former felons who are already off paper and allow them to vote later this year.  It's not a lasting outcome, has its disadvantages, and it won't be easy to convince him.  On the up-side, Beshear won't run for Governor again after last year and he might have more will to do something like this now.  With union allies and other coalition members he sees eye-to-eye with on many issues, and a strong narrative about Senate President David Williams refusing to even allow the bill to be heard for 8 years, it might be worth a try and soon.

Field Work - Ultimately, this issue has to pass a vote of the people.  And we know we need a broad constituency of engaged people acting out on this issue to pass through the legislature.  A robust program of community meetings, festivals, discussions, door-to-door canvasses, phone banks, movie showings, 1:1 conversations, and other ground work can build our movement so we can win in the long-run. That's all about the work that y'all and your fellow members can accomplish in your respective chapters.  

Legislative Meetings - Meetings with legislators throughout the year - especially uncontested Senate Republicans or those with even-numbered districts who aren't up for election this year - because we know those will be key legislators who will still be there next year.  We need more time to deepen the support of legislators who are already "yes" votes and get them to take some ownership of this issue.  Sen Tom Jensen is a good one to start with and we already have some requests in from three different constituents to meet with him. 

Reforging the Voting Rights Coalition - Our voting rights coalition in Kentucky needs some work and we can put some time into building relationships, a shared analysis, and a cohesive plan to move us forward.  We've tentatively proposed a meeting in June and are polling our allies to see what's possible.

Thanks to the KFTC Voter Empowerment Strategy Team and other members across the state for all of your collective hard work over these past few months.  We've done impressive things, but our most impressive moments are yet to come.