Voter Empowerment
Madison County Secretary of State Town Meeting on Elections
Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes has been conducting a series of town meetings to gather input on election laws and practices.
Do you have a Constitutional right to vote?
Does the US Constitution say that you have a right to vote?
The answer may suprise you.
While several constitutional amendments prohibit discrimination based on race, sex and age, the language aways cuts carefully around just coming out and saying that you have the right to vote.
The 15th amendment to the constitution says the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." We usually sum that up by saying that the 15th amendment gave the right to vote to African Americans, but that's not exactly the same thing.
And we often describe the 26th amendment as granting the right to vote to 18-20 year-olds, but what is actually says is "The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age."
To put it another way, there is no explicit affirmative right to vote in the US Constitution.
Sec of State Election Meeting Schedule Finalized
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?"
Northern Kentuckians debate restoring felons' right to vote
Restoring the voting rights to felons ranked among the reforms some Northern Kentuckians would like to see Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes advocate for.
Dozens of Northern Kentuckians Wednesday night at Dixie Heights High School told Grimes what they like and dislike about Kentucky's voting laws. Grimes visited Northern Kentucky as part of five town halls she will conduct around the state this year to get input on voting laws.
Madison County members learn together and discuss opportunities for engagement at May chapter meeting
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.
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