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Virginia governor enables 200,000 felons to vote in November

poweRob

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Not a fan of Terry McAuliffe. But good on him for fighting Jim Crow. Sad we still have to fight this long ago dead man's evil doings.

Virginia governor enables 200,000 felons to vote in November

More than 200,000 convicted felons will be able to cast ballots in the swing state of Virginia in November under a sweeping executive order Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Friday.

The Democrat said restoring the rights of former felons to vote and run for office will help undo the state's long history of trying to prevent African-Americans from fully participating in our democracy.

"This is the essence of our democracy and any effort to dilute that fundamental principle diminishes it, folks, for all of us," McAuliffe said on the steps of Virginia's Capitol, before a crowd of more than 100 people that included many ex-felons. Left-leaning advocacy groups were there as well, handing out voter registration forms.​
 
Not a fan of Terry McAuliffe. But good on him for fighting Jim Crow. Sad we still have to fight this long ago dead man's evil doings.

Virginia governor enables 200,000 felons to vote in November

More than 200,000 convicted felons will be able to cast ballots in the swing state of Virginia in November under a sweeping executive order Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Friday.

The Democrat said restoring the rights of former felons to vote and run for office will help undo the state's long history of trying to prevent African-Americans from fully participating in our democracy.

"This is the essence of our democracy and any effort to dilute that fundamental principle diminishes it, folks, for all of us," McAuliffe said on the steps of Virginia's Capitol, before a crowd of more than 100 people that included many ex-felons. Left-leaning advocacy groups were there as well, handing out voter registration forms.​

Democrats pandering by scraping the bottom of tbe barrel? No ?!

There's a thread on this already and yes, the Democrats need all the help they can get.

With that said, no one should be under the illusion that if the majority of convicted felons supported the GOP, MCauliffe would'nt have bothered.
 
He knows they will be loyal democrats. That's all that matters to him.

He is only a placeholder hoping for a cabinet slot in Hillary's administration.
 
Democrats pandering by scraping the bottom of tbe barrel? No ?!

There's a thread on this already and yes, the Democrats need all the help they can get.

With that said, no one should be under the illusion that if the majority of convicted felons supported the GOP, MCauliffe would'nt have bothered.

Personally I think people who have served their sentence should have the right to vote. *shrug*
 
Not a fan of Terry McAuliffe. But good on him for fighting Jim Crow. Sad we still have to fight this long ago dead man's evil doings.

Virginia governor enables 200,000 felons to vote in November

More than 200,000 convicted felons will be able to cast ballots in the swing state of Virginia in November under a sweeping executive order Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Friday.

The Democrat said restoring the rights of former felons to vote and run for office will help undo the state's long history of trying to prevent African-Americans from fully participating in our democracy.

"This is the essence of our democracy and any effort to dilute that fundamental principle diminishes it, folks, for all of us," McAuliffe said on the steps of Virginia's Capitol, before a crowd of more than 100 people that included many ex-felons. Left-leaning advocacy groups were there as well, handing out voter registration forms.​

I seriously doubt he had benevolent motives given the timing and the fact that this is Terry 'I'm marginally better than Cucinelli' McAuliffe, but I'm still glad it was done and think this should be instituted nationally.
 
He knows they will be loyal democrats. That's all that matters to him.

He is only a placeholder hoping for a cabinet slot in Hillary's administration.

Extremely possible and I'm inclined to agree. But it doesn't mean he made the wrong decision. You can come to the right outcome for bad reasons.
 
It won't make any difference this November because Trump is demographically unelectable in the general election regardless. However, in future elections assuming the Republicans run a credible candidate, it could make a difference.

I think felons should be able to vote, but I am under no illusions that this was done for anything other than political reasons.
 
It won't make any difference this November because Trump is demographically unelectable in the general election regardless. However, in future elections assuming the Republicans run a credible candidate, it could make a difference.

I think felons should be able to vote, but I am under no illusions that this was done for anything other than political reasons.

I agree with you completely.
 
It won't make any difference this November because Trump is demographically unelectable in the general election regardless. However, in future elections assuming the Republicans run a credible candidate, it could make a difference.

I think felons should be able to vote, but I am under no illusions that this was done for anything other than political reasons.

So Hillary's unelectable and so is Trump.

Someone has to win the General so who's it going to be ??
 
So Hillary's unelectable and so is Trump.

Someone has to win the General so who's it going to be ??

Trump is even more unelectable. Had the GOP base been smart enough to go with a guy like Kasich they would win easily. Trump will go down like Goldwater. He is doing even worse with minorities than Romney did and getting 10% less of the white vote than Romney did. For a Republican to win the Whitehouse, they have to do like Bush did in 2004 and win at least 40% of the Hispanic vote. If Trump gets 10% of the Hispanic vote he will be doing good. Woman and minorities view Trump about as favorability as they did George Wallace.

You may as well accept the fact that if Trump is the nominee, Hillary will easily win come November.
 
Democrats pandering by scraping the bottom of tbe barrel? No ?!

There's a thread on this already and yes, the Democrats need all the help they can get.

With that said, no one should be under the illusion that if the majority of convicted felons supported the GOP, MCauliffe would'nt have bothered.

Do you think that a conviction should disenfranchise you for life? What about a dishonourable discharge, should that remove your right to vote?
 
So Hillary's unelectable and so is Trump.

Someone has to win the General so who's it going to be ??

When Hillary Clinton is elected the Republicans will have only themselves to blame. I mean, really, Donald Trump is the best the GOP, the party of Lincoln, could come up with?
It's a pattern- the Republicans nominate an unelectable candidate an then complain that the American electorate voted for a Democrat.
 
Do you think that a conviction should disenfranchise you for life? What about a dishonourable discharge, should that remove your right to vote?

Of course it should.... if you don't vote like him you should be banned from the booth for life. Everything is political always and right or wrong always takes a back seat to politics.

I'll take a wild guess at his positions on DC and Puerto Rico statehood. "NO... because they will vote for democrats!"
 
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So Hillary's unelectable and so is Trump.

Someone has to win the General so who's it going to be ??

It'll be Clinton. BUT... As i've said before, the upshot is that with these two terrible candidates is I expect third parties to do better than normal which will help them immensely in future elections being that the hardest thing for third parties is gaining ballot access every election in states just to be able to run.

If your party gets over X% in a national election, you automatically have ballot access in the next election. X being the differing percentages you have to reach in varying states to gain their ballot access.
 
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Not a fan of Terry McAuliffe. But good on him for fighting Jim Crow. Sad we still have to fight this long ago dead man's evil doings.

Virginia governor enables 200,000 felons to vote in November

More than 200,000 convicted felons will be able to cast ballots in the swing state of Virginia in November under a sweeping executive order Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Friday.

The Democrat said restoring the rights of former felons to vote and run for office will help undo the state's long history of trying to prevent African-Americans from fully participating in our democracy.

"This is the essence of our democracy and any effort to dilute that fundamental principle diminishes it, folks, for all of us," McAuliffe said on the steps of Virginia's Capitol, before a crowd of more than 100 people that included many ex-felons. Left-leaning advocacy groups were there as well, handing out voter registration forms.​

I've never been entirely clear on the reason for why even current felons can't vote. They're still American, and it's not like their act of voting is going to hurt anybody else.

Still, that they can vote once they've served out their sentence is certainly a step in the right direction.
 
I've never been entirely clear on the reason for why even current felons can't vote. They're still American, and it's not like their act of voting is going to hurt anybody else.

Still, that they can vote once they've served out their sentence is certainly a step in the right direction.

I'm of the same opinion. I think incarcerated folks should still be able to vote. We need to stop using our jails as an "out of sight out of mind" system. That's precisely why prisons make people worse rather than better.
 
Democrats pandering by scraping the bottom of tbe barrel? No ?!

There's a thread on this already and yes, the Democrats need all the help they can get.

With that said, no one should be under the illusion that if the majority of convicted felons supported the GOP, MCauliffe would'nt have bothered.

I don't care if 100% of ex felons beat their children and identify as Democrat. If you've served out your sentence and repaid your debt, then having your full voting rights restored should be a given.
 
I'm of the same opinion. I think incarcerated folks should still be able to vote. We need to stop using our jails as an "out of sight out of mind" system. That's precisely why prisons make people worse rather than better.

I suspect that the reason is entirely punitive, as I certainly can't see any practical reason for it. I see prison as serving two separate functions which are not necessarily mutually exclusive: 1)Rehabilitation, and 2)Quarantining them from society because they don't play well with others. I just don't see how taking away their right to vote factors into either of those functions.
 
I suspect that the reason is entirely punitive, as I certainly can't see any practical reason for it. I see prison as serving two separate functions which are not necessarily mutually exclusive: 1)Rehabilitation, and 2)Quarantining them from society because they don't play well with others. I just don't see how taking away their right to vote factors into either of those functions.

Well said. That is how I want our penal system to work instead of being a revenge system.
 
So Hillary's unelectable and so is Trump.

Someone has to win the General so who's it going to be ??

Both are unelectable. It's like if you drop a cat with a piece of buttered toast strapped to its back. Toast always lands butter side down, cats always land on their feet, so the end result is a paradox that destroys the universe.
 
He knows they will be loyal democrats. That's all that matters to him.

He is only a placeholder hoping for a cabinet slot in Hillary's administration.

We know it's all that matters to you.
 
He knows they will be loyal democrats. That's all that matters to him.

He is only a placeholder hoping for a cabinet slot in Hillary's administration.

Odd how many Republicans love to restrict rights, LGBT, SSM, person does their time, lets punish them some more.
 
Felons = Jim Crow?

:lamo

Talk about 'racist'.
 
When Hillary Clinton is elected the Republicans will have only themselves to blame. I mean, really, Donald Trump is the best the GOP, the party of Lincoln, could come up with?
It's a pattern- the Republicans nominate an unelectable candidate an then complain that the American electorate voted for a Democrat.

Yea right.

Hillary is either going to be indicted or not and the lefts problem is they see the latter as a guaranteed win in November.

Its not. Let start with the fact that she's already untrustworthy....
Hey Hillary, Here's Why People Don't Trust You

So unless your'e living under a rock you know she created a private Email server for the purpose of outrunning subpoena request, got caught, lied about why ( for the convience of using one device ), said she would turn over all Emails to the State dept ( because she's " transparent " ), deleted 30 thousand Emails first, wiped the Server hard drive before turning it over to the FBI who started a Criminal investigation and then she lied about having classified documents on her server ( Obama administration refuses to release 22 Emails because theyre too Calssified )

The DOJs refusal to indict will perpetuate the narrative that the Clintons are corrupt and above the law not to mention the DOJ refusing to indict Hillary for something that would land your average American in prison for years isn't going to play well to independants or undecided voters

Americans aren't interested in electing another corrupt establishemnt politician who thinks she's above the law and no indictment will just prove that she and the Obama adminstration are exceedingly corrupt.

Whoever winds up running against her wont let the American people forget that she just got away with breaking Federal law. That she's a liar, thinks laws should only apply to average Americans and Republicans and is not fit to hold office let alone be Presidnent

She would be better off being indicted
 
Do you think that a conviction should disenfranchise you for life? What about a dishonourable discharge, should that remove your right to vote?

This has nothing to do with disinfranchised voters. If anything MCauliffe disnefrachised the voters who are going to vote for the GOP by cancelling out their vote with the vote from a Felon.

If this was about disenfrachised voters MCauliffe wouldn't have bothered. If Felons were likely to vote for the GOP, MCauliffe wouldn't have bothered.

This is about a Governor giving Felons a chance to cast a vote for Hillary. Thats it

Its typical Democrat low life tactics.
 
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