The right to vote is essential to our democracy. We are not a monarchy. We are not a dictatorship. We
are not an oligarchy. We govern ourselves as a democracy. We govern ourselves through our
representative form of government. In order for each citizen to participate in his or her governance,
each person must be allowed to vote. We are told that ours is a government “of the people, by the
people, for the people.” The only way this works properly is to allow ex-felons to be a part of governing
themselves.
Since 2007, a bi-partisan majority of Kentucky’s State Representatives have supported legislation to
allow Kentucky's voters the opportunity to amend the constitution so that most former felons, after fully
completing their court imposed sentences, would have their right to vote restored automatically. For
seven years now the Kentucky State Senate has failed to act on the legislation, denying the people of
Kentucky the opportunity to vote on this constitutional change.
Kentucky lags behind the country by continuing to bar people from voting because of a criminal
conviction. While many states are moving to restore voting rights to citizens with felony convictions,
Kentucky is one of only three states that permanently disenfranchise everyone with a felony conviction.
The others are lowa and Florida.
Yet some Kentucky lawmakers have blocked progress on this issue even when polling data indicates that
most Kentuckians support the change. And they should.
The right to vote is a foundation of citizenship. We require ex-felons to pay taxes and comply with the
laws enacted by their legislators when they return to their communities. The right to vote, a hallmark of
our democracy, should follow.
Nationwide, felony disenfranchisement laws bar an estimated 5.85 million American citizens from active
participation in the life of their communities by impeding their right to vote. In Kentucky, more than
180,000 people who have completed their sentences are barred from voting because of a past criminal
conviction. If they lived in one place, they would form the state’s third largest city.
For various reasons, this burden falls disproportionately on minorities. In Kentucky 1 in 5 African-
American adults cannot vote because of a criminal conviction. In a study by the League of Women
Voters of Kentucky it was noted that Kentucky has the highest African American disenfranchisement
rate in the country.
Putting this issue on the ballot and letting the people of Kentucky determine whether they want to allow
former felons to regain the right to vote automatically is not only the right thing to do, it is in our best
interest to do so for the following reasons:
¢ Many law enforcement and criminal justice organizations support restoring voting rights to people
upon release from prison as a smart-on-crime reform. Allowing people to vote after release from
prison encourages participation in civic life and helps rebuild ties to the community that motivate
law-abiding behavior. The American Probation and Parole Association, the National Black Police
Association and the Association of Paroling Authorities International have all passed resolutions in
favor of restoring the right to vote to people released from prison.
¢ Restoring the right to vote helps reintegrate people with criminal records into society and
strengthens democracy. Restoration of voting rights helps people with criminal records become
productive members of society and strengthens our institutions by increasing participation in the
democratic process.
In 2009, Governor Steve Beshear appointed a task force of over 50 prominent Kentuckians to make
recommendations that would lead to a reduction in the number of persons who come out of prison and
re-offend and go back. In October 2013, this Governor’s Re-entry Task Force included a
recommendation that the state “provide automatic restoration of voting rights for ex-felons.” The report
states that changing the constitution as proposed in House Bill 70 - restoring voting rights automatically
- “avoids anyone claiming the arbitrary use of discretionary power, and instead provides certainty and
predictability. It encourages participation in the community, promotes democracy, and welcomes our
sons and daughters back.”
In 2014 there will be a bill to accomplish what House Bill 70 set out to do in the past. It is now the time
for the entire General Assembly to give it bi-partisan support and allow Kentuckians the opportunity to
change this outdated provision of the Kentucky Constitution.
Signed by:
The Honorable Jesse Crenshaw
State Representative, 77" Legislative District
The Rev. Patrick Delahanty
Executive Director, Catholic Conference of Kentucky
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted