Voting Rights News

We’re continuing to advance our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society – through field work, citizen lobbying, and other actions.

Here are a few highlights from recent weeks:

-  Victory in Virginia! - In national news, the Republican Governor of Virginia Robert McDonnell took some big steps to restore voting rights to former felons by executive pardon.  The measure excludes Virginians convicted of more serious crimes including some drug related crimes (about 40% total).  It’s also not a blanket measure, so former felons still need to be identified individually to get their rights back, but it’s still a big step forward.  This most recent move leaves Kentucky arguably farther behind than any other US state in having a navigable re-enfranchisement process.   You can learn more here, here, here, and here.

Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes has been conducting a series of town meetings to gather input on election laws and practices. 

The exact times and locations of the final three events are now set:

June 3rd at 12:30 p.m. CST – McCracken County:  Robert Cherry Civic Center, 2701 Park Avenue, Paducah, KY
June 6th at 12:30 p.m. EST – Jefferson County: Muhammad Ali Center, 144 N. 6th Street, Louisville, KY
June 20th at 5:30 p.m. EST – Madison County:  Madison County Extension Office, 230 Duncannon Lane, Richmond, KY

The format of the input meetings is fairly straightforward.  It's a 60 minute discussion facilitated by the Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. There is some context at the beginning and some recognition of county clerks' office representatives. 

But mostly, the event is focused on a series of questions like "What are your thoughts about our current voter registration process?" "18 states offer online voter registration. Should we try to move in that direction?" "What is your election day experience like?" and "32 states allow early voting. Should we allow no-excuse early voting in Kentucky too?"

The Madison County chapter had a good, thoughtful chapter meeting this past Monday, May 20, in the beautiful Appalachian Center gallery at Berea College.

After a great icebreaker, Meta Mendel-Reyes facilitated an exercise from Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Everyone looked at a list of a couple dozen statements having to do with everyday life and checked off the ones they felt were true for them. This led to a discussion of how people felt about these statements and what they found surprising.

Last night, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes held a second town meeting, this one in Kenton County, to gather input from the public about election laws and processes in Kentucky. 

About 60 people attended in all, including representatives from local county clerks' offices, political party groups, and Northern Kentucky KFTC members. 

At the beginning of the event, Grimes recognzed KFTC and said that without us and other civic groups like the League of Women Voters, it wouldn't be possible to have smooth representative elections in Kentucky.

The format was simple - a 60 minute discussion facilitated by Alison Lundergan Grimes. There was some context at the beginning and some recognition of county clerks' office representatives, and then the audience was asked questions like "What are your thoughts about our current voter registration process?" "18 states offer online voter registration. Should we try to move in that direction?" "What is your election day experience like?" and "32 states allow early voting. Should we allow no-excuse early voting in Kentucky too?" 

A few KFTC members were prepared to bring up the issue of restoration of voting rights for former felons who have served their debt to society, but Grimes beat us to it. She expressed her support in no uncertain terms and many people throughout the room voiced their support as well.  This included Jim Cole, a representative of the AFL-CIO.