Voting Rights News | Kentuckians For The Commonwealth

Voting Rights News

Action Alert for Redistricting

March 2, 2021 at 11:00am

The following is an action alert from our allies at the League of Women Voters on Redistricting.

ACTION ALERT

Call Legislators today about  House Concurrent Resolution 61 calling for an open redistricting process!

800-372-7181

Redistricting Congressional and KY House and Senate boundaries will happen during the 2022 legislature and once enacted, will be in effect for 10 YEARS! In the past, redistricting has been done behind closed doors!

HCR 61 calls for an open process with opportunities for public input.

Call House leaders and your own legislator today and ask them to hear and support HCR 61 and open up the process.

Call 1-800-372-7181 and ask legislators to:

Please assign HCR 61 to a committee and support its passage to create an open redistricting process. Kentucky deserves a transparent redistricting process with opportunities for public input.

Follow-up from yesterday's Virtual Lobby Day for a Healthy Democracy

February 19, 2021 at 11:43am

2-18-21 Virtual Lobby Day for a Healthy DemocracyYesterday's Virtual Lobby Day for a Healthy Democracy was a big success, despite so many weather-related challenges. We had over 70 participants, had some good legislative meetings, a lobby training, social media training, letter to the editor training, spokesperson training, generated tons of calls to the legislative message line and good outreach through social media, and had a fantastic virtual rally with powerful stories in the afternoon.

Join us for a Virtual Lobby Day for a Healthy Democracy Thursday!

February 15, 2021 at 10:25am

Voting Rights Coalition Meeting 1/13/20We need to build a strong, healthy Democracy in Kentucky if we’re going to ever build

Kentucky restored voting rights to 178,000 with felonies. That's not far enough, advocates say

January 28, 2021
The Courier-Journal

More than 178,390 Kentuckians who completed sentences for nonviolent felony convictions have regained their voting rights since Gov.

Voting Rights / Democracy focus on General Assembly bills and work in new year

January 26, 2021 at 03:11pm

KFTC Voting Rights Strategy TeamWe had a January 9 Voting Rights Strategy Team meeting with 20 attendees, unpacking the political moment we’re in, celebrating our work last year to register people with felonies in their past, and winning a strong general election infrastructure. We set to work planning with a focus on the General Assembly. We also held a January 15 Voting Rights meeting where more than 50 people from 30 organizations joined to strengthen our coalition, build a shared analysis and make plans (both in the legislature and for field work). 

Encouragement, communication and education move us forward in the fight for voting rights

December 1, 2020 at 12:09pm

2020 launched the Kentucky Democracy Project, a new campaign to register, educate and mobilize Kentucky voters to participate in the 2020 election and beyond. As Kentuckians, we can work together to build a healthy democracy where everyone has a voice and a vote. Our focus is on communities often left out of the political decision-making process – lower income communities, people of color, and young people – particularly 170,000 Kentuckians with felonies in their past who got back their right to vote.

This November KFTC spoke with three of those 170,000 to discuss what voting means to them and what it's going to take to restore and respect the voting rights of all Kentuckians. Links to the full audio interviews are listed at the bottom. 

Aubrey Clemons Aubrey Clemons has always valued voting. But Clemons lost his right to vote after a felony conviction in 2006. He got his right to vote back through Gov. Andy Beshear's executive order. He lives in the Smoketown community of Louisville and is a KFTC member.

Q: What is your history with voting and what does voting mean to you?

Aubrey Clemons: Voting on a personal level is really special to me because as a young man, when I was 18 I never played into politics or policies. My up-comings and my community, the last thing we thought is that our voice mattered. It was typical to hear a brother of 18, 19, 20 years old say, I’m not voting, it doesn’t mean anything. 

I didn’t start hearing the conversation about voting until maybe 2004? The only reason why I voted is because my son’s mother was really big on voting. She made it a date. She’d get all dressed up and took me/us to the polls. 

Unfortunately in 2006 I got into some mess in Hart County, Kentucky. I never knew that boot-legging DVDs and CDs to be sold was bad, but I lost my right to vote because of it and became a felon. 

Voting was a part of our tradition as a couple, that we could have started but never got the chance to. Right after I was able to vote, right after I learned the power of my voice, I lost my right to vote. So that tradition got stomped. Even when I was in that place, serving my time in the state of Kentucky, she would always call me and let me know that she voted, that it was voting time. She had my kids out there excited to vote for Obama, twice! It’s really a big deal to me.

Final Days of Voting - Key information and Action

November 2, 2020 at 01:54pm

Juan GomezThis unprecedented election season is coming to a close, and today is the last day to vote early.

More than 1.3 million Kentuckians have already voted. Our election officials, especially local county clerks and poll workers, have worked to make voting safe and accessible, and we’re on track to see historic voter turnout.

It’s never been more important that we all vote. Let's spread the word and make sure people know their options for voting. Polling times and locations for today and tomorrow are here by county. And if you have your mail-in ballot, drop it off at the closest ballot drop box.

Once voting ends tomorrow, let’s be patient as votes are counted. Counting every vote is an important part of a healthy democracy. And keep in mind that the early results we hear from the media may change as more ballots are counted.

Big Voting Rights phone bank a success

November 2, 2020 at 01:45pm

10/31/20 GOTV phone bank for Kentuckians with Felonies in their past 10/31/20 GOTV phone bank for Kentuckians with Felonies in their pastWe had a big phone bank over the weekend and called 3,200 people with felonies in their past who are registered to vote to let them know they can go vote today or tomorrow. We had 59 callers, so we went on to call another 8,000 voters, mostly Black Kentuckians and help them to vote as well.

Kudos to all the volunteers who came out and to the organizations that co-sponsored the phone bank - Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Hood to the Holler, ACLU, Together Frankfort, KUUJAN, Indivisible Danville, Youth Violence Prevention Research Center, and the Kentucky Poor People's Campaign.

Just one more week of voting left! Vote, Share and Volunteer.

October 27, 2020 at 01:58pm

Caitlin Powell Voting 2020 General ElectionWe know KFTC members are super voters who vote in almost every election and we appreciate you all for doing it. And we all know people who haven’t yet voted. With just one week left to vote, it’s time to really spread the word.

Kentuckians have now cast more than 1 million votes, and we’re on track for record turnout if we keep this up!

You can find your local voting locations at www.GoVoteKY.com and you can vote throughout this week, Saturday or even next Monday. Don’t wait until November 3 – the sooner you vote, the better.

If you requested your mailed ballot before the deadline and if it doesn’t arrive by October 28, you can vote in person.

You can volunteer with KFTC and our New Power PAC from the comfort of your home to make calls to voters to mobilize them to vote, or come join us at events like election protection at the polls. All of our events are listed online at www.kftc.org/meetonline

Kentucky Democracy Project Launch! Sign up to Volunteer!

September 3, 2020 at 02:19pm

Voter Registration CaitlinThe Kentucky Democracy Project is a new campaign to register, educate and mobilize Kentucky voters to participate in the 2020 election and beyond. As Kentuckians, we can work together to build a healthy democracy where everyone has a voice and a vote. Our focus is on communities often left out of the political decision-making process – lower income communities, people of color, and young people - particularly 170,000 Kentuckians with felonies in their past got back their right to vote.  All Kentuckians should have a voice in elections and should be listened to by elected leaders.

The Kentucky Democracy Project’s work includes online trainings, phone banks to register or mobilize voters, leaving lit pieces on doors, COVID-19 safe voter registration tables and canvassing, and mailings. If you’d like to get involved or learn more, visit www.KentuckyDemocracy.org/volunteer  We have two big trainings next week and lots of upcoming phone banks!

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