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Kentucky League of Women Voters release ‘Felony Disenfrachisement’ report; more progress needed


The League of Women Voters of Kentucky released a state report, Felony Disenfranchisement in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, showing Kentucky has made much progress in 2019 but has much further to go.

This report is an updated version of similar studies conducted in 2006, 2013, 2017 and 2019.
 
Major Findings of the 2020 Report include:

• The League’s 2019 Report found that the number of Kentuckians disenfranchised because of felony convictions increased to 312,046 from 186,348 as reported in the League’s 2006 Report.

• Since our 2019 Report, many more have been convicted of a felony and are now ineligible to vote.
 
• However, 2019 brought significant progress. Since 1995, up to an estimated total of 160,285 persons have had their right to vote restored as a result of gubernatorial partial pardons, expungements by courts, and primarily due to the December executive order by the governor.

• Kentucky is one of only three states along with Virginia and Iowa to enforce lifetime voting bans on all persons with felony convictions resulting in the disenfranchisement of over 170,000 Kentucky men and women.

“The time is now to build on the 2019 progress Kentucky made in restoring the right to vote and bring our Commonwealth into the mainstream national public policy on automatic restoration of voting rights for persons who have completed their felony sentence,” said Fran Wagner, League President.

“The League has a longstanding belief that voting is a fundamental expression of citizenship and every citizen of our Commonwealth should be protected in the right to vote. When we show persons with a felony who have paid their debt to society that they are allowed to vote, we proclaim that they are citizens again. Studies show that the rate of recidivism goes down when a person convicted of a felony feels he/she can fully participate in our democracy.” 
 
Major Recommendations include:

• The League expressly calls on the Governor, the Executive Branch especially the Justice Cabinet Secretary and Department of Corrections Commissioner, the Secretary of State, and Legislators to implement expeditiously the 2019 Executive Order.

• The League renews the call to legislators for passage of a bill to allow people to vote to amend the Kentucky Constitution making restoration of the right to vote automatic upon completion of sentence.

“The League was created by women who struggled many years seeking the right to vote,” said Fran Wagner, president of the state League. “We believe citizens who have made a mistake should have that right reinstated once they have completed their full sentence and/or parole. The League of Women Voters believes that our society is stronger when all of our citizens vote.”

The state League of Women Voters takes positions only after deliberation and consensus from local Leagues across the state. The report, Felony Disenfranchisement in the Commonwealth of Kentucky: A Report of the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, along with the 2019, 2017, 2013, 2006 and 2013 reports are available here.
 
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. 


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