(UnitedVoice.com) – The Democratic Party isn’t really doing well on any of the issues Americans are concerned about, but it’s fair to say law and order isn’t one of its strong points. With even Liberals rebelling against far-left district attorneys, like San Francisco “prosecutor” Chesa Boudin, who was deposed in a recall election last year, the party is seen as soft on crime. Two Democrat lawmakers don’t seem to have gotten the message yet, though. They’re trying to push through a bill that would restore the vote to convicted felons.
Right now, 48 US states have restrictions on the right of felons to vote. In some, like Iowa or Tennessee, there’s effectively a lifetime voting ban for some felons. In others, including Alabama and Florida, felons can get the vote back if they can pay off their court fees and fines.
In Virginia, they need to petition the governor, although in 2021, Governor Ralph Northam (D) issued a blanket amnesty for 69,000 ex-cons and anyone convicted of a felony from then on. When he left office the next year, his Republican replacement, Governor Glenn Youngkin, immediately axed that policy.
Many Liberals have a problem with the restrictions; they claim disenfranchising felons discriminates against African Americans, although the claim itself seems a bit racist. Now, two legislators — Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) of the notorious far-left “Squad” and Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) want to change the system.
On December 6, they announced the Inclusive Democracy Act, which would guarantee all Americans the right to vote in federal elections even if they have a criminal record. It would also force the government to notify all felons that they can vote again.
Welch could get his bill through the Senate, but its House counterpart is unlikely to survive the slim GOP majority there. It looks like, this time at least, the Democrats’ desperate attempt to pick up the jailhouse vote is doomed to fail.
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