“Not just for democracy but also an understanding that people can make mistakes, yet they can rebuild their lives, and they ought to have the dignity of voting once they do.”. “Those that have less money shouldn't have their voices squelched.”. Iowa Gov. Beshear says he’ll pursue that amendment legislatively, though the process, if it succeeded in the Republican-controlled state legislature, could take years. Beshear acknowledges the next governor could similarly roll back his order. Kentucky Gov. Some Kentuckians may be experiencing déjà vu.
Now that category includes just one state: Iowa.
The pledge fulfilled a campaign promise from Beshear, the former attorney general who ran a close race this year against the unpopular incumbent governor, Republican Matt Bevin. Steve Beshear, that was suspended by his father's successor, Republican Matt Bevin. In his executive order on felon voting rights, Beshear excluded people who were convicted of rape and sexual abuse, as well as other violent offenses – and some nonviolent offenses such as bribery in an election. “It was filmed. “Our goal is to streamline this process to where someone … in the near future, can walk into any clerk's office across Kentucky and get registered to vote,” he says. The Kentucky New Era reports that one sentence commutation went to Dayton Jones, a man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy and distributing “matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor.”, Bevin told The Washington Post the United States were founded on the concept of redemption and that he’s “a big believer in second chances.”. Andy Beshear restored voting rights for over 140,000 former felons in the state through an executive order, his office announced Thursday.
Beshear stresses that Kentucky’s executive order does not require felons to pay fees or fines in order to exercise their right. Voting rights measures coming from the governor's office have been a point of contention in Kentucky across several administrations. Beshear's father, former Gov. “I can tell you that as long as I serve, this order is going to be in effect.”. Beshear calls the case one of the “worst crimes” his office had ever seen. Kentucky’s new governor has restored voting rights to felons in the state, in an executive order signed days after he took office. "They deserve to participate in our great democracy," the Democrat declared. Jackie Steele, a prosecutor for the commonwealth, told the Post the governor’s actions were “an absolute atrocity of justice” and that the pardons put Kentucky communities in danger. “The fact that someone owes money will not keep them from getting their voting rights back,” he says. Beshear says the state will work to avoid putting an excessive burden on felons, who register to vote and turn out at lower rates than the general population. . No other details were immediately available, but it appears Beshear is essentially reinstating an executive order signed in 2015 by his father, former Gov. This is their right.”. “No forms, no hassle. That order restored the right to vote and hold public office to more than 140,000 nonviolent felons who completed their sentences. With Thursday’s order, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear restored voting rights for over 140,000 former felons in the state through an executive order, his office announced Thursday. An executive order “means that 140,000 Kentuckians that got their voting rights restored yesterday don't have to wait those extra couple years,” he says. "My faith teaches me to treat others with dignity and respect. But the pardons drew concern from some state attorneys. (CNN)Newly sworn-in Kentucky Gov. Francesca Paris Twitter Associate Producer and EditorFrancesca Paris is an associate producer and editor for Here & Now. Matt Bevin, the outgoing governor, also spoke recently about redemption in the criminal justice system, though from a different angle. Beshear says he issued the order in part to reduce Kentucky’s disenfranchisement rate, one of the highest in the nation. “I fully disagree with that pardon,” he says. Former Kentucky Gov. Newly sworn-in Kentucky Gov. "I want to lift up all of our families and I believe we have a moral responsibility to protect and expand the right to vote.". We all matter.". But he points out that permanent, automatic restoration of voting rights in Kentucky would require a constitutional amendment. Steve Beshear, the current governor’s father, issued a similar order at the end of his tenure in 2015, though it was promptly overturned by Bevin. Beshear won by a slim margin in a contest where Republicans swept down ballot races and President Trump threw his weight behind Bevin. They deserve to participate in our great democracy," the Democrat declared. But he says one pardon involved a case that his office had prosecuted when he was attorney general, apparently referring to Dayton Jones. But right here and right now, we have a moment in time, maybe a moment in history, to get this right.". Last year, Florida restored voting rights to more than a million people with felony charges, but quickly became caught in a legal battle when the state legislature passed a law requiring felons to pay court fees, fines and restitution before voting. The Beshears are the first father and son duo to serve as governors in Kentucky history. ", Kentucky is not alone in vacillating on the issue. “I think it's critically important,” Beshear says. "By taking this step, by restoring these voting rights, we declare that everyone counts in Kentucky. Andy Beshear announced in his inaugural address Tuesday that he'll sign an executive order this week restoring voting rights to more than 100,000 people who've been convicted of felonies. Between his loss in November and the end of his term, Bevin pardoned more than 400 people, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, including some convicted of violent crimes. Andy Beshear said he's sign the executive order restoring voting rights to over 100,000 people who've completed their sentences later this week ... Kentucky … Last year, Florida, Democrat declares victory in Kentucky governor race. Speaking with Here & Now, Beshear refrained from commenting on the pardons as a whole, noting that he doesn’t want to criticize his predecessor. Kentucky was one of just two states with a blanket, lifetime voting ban on felons. Francesca Paris produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Tinku Ray. Updated 0116 GMT (0916 HKT) December 13, 2019. Civil rights groups sued over law, which they said amounts to a “poll tax.” A federal court has temporarily blocked the law. And the move follows a wave of voting rights expansions for felons across the country, at the peak of a decades-long movement against disenfranchisement. Paris also adapted it for the web. “It was an awful case where a young man in high school was attacked, was violated,” Beshear says.
We can do so much better, Michelle Obama's blunt message about Trump, 'What a year this week has been': Keilar recaps wild week in politics, CNN Poll: Biden widens lead over Trump following debate, Bernstein on Trump: He has become homicidally negligent, Avlon: The White House is a Covid-19 hotspot, Chalian: Trump hit high-water mark of disapproval on key issue, See Tapper's direct message to Americans after Trump's 'callous' tweet, Infected Trump re-shoots entrance into White House with camera crew, This crease in Biden's shirt fueled a conspiracy theory, White House press secretary tests positive for Covid-19, Avlon: President Trump's sickness is a karmic twist, Everywhere Trump went the week before his Covid-19 diagnosis, Trump surprises crowd with drive-by outside Walter Reed, Medical experts question decision to allow Trump's drive-by. Beshear also lamented the state's voter access issues, asserting that Kentucky has the third highest voter disenfranchisement rate nationwide with nearly 10% of people, and nearly 25% of African-Americans, in the state not being allowed to vote.
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