During the last round of redistricting, it was revealed that then-chairman
of the House Budget Committee, Bob Stump (R-AZ), committed a felony under
Arizona state law by providing a false address for his place of residence on
his voter registration. Stump later retired rather than running for an
office that he potentially would not have been eligible to vote (I do not
know if a conviction was ever pursued, though the incident was
well-documented in the press and Stump admitted to the felony).
I would be interested to hear the argument why one of the most respected and
powerful members of Congress should have been denied his right to vote.
==================================
Dr. Michael P. McDonald
Brookings Institution, Visiting Fellow
George Mason University, Assistant Professor
Dept of Public and International Affairs
4400 University Drive - 3F4
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
Office: 703-993-4191
Fax: 703-993-1399
mmcdon@gmu.edu
http://elections.gmu.edu/
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-election-law_gl@majordomo.lls.edu
[mailto:owner-election-law_gl@majordomo.lls.edu] On Behalf Of
ban@richardwinger.com
Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 12:36 PM
To: election-law@majordomo.lls.edu
Subject: mental states of felons and ex-felons
I do not agree with blanket statements that felons or
ex-felons "are unwilling to abide by limitations
society has considered the most serious". The state
of mind when a criminal commits a felony is not
necessarily permanent, and frequently that state of
mind is altered for the better within weeks of the
criminal act.
Many felonies are committed by people who really are
mentally ill when the felony is committed. In the
process of being arrested and convicted, many gain
access to therapeutic drugs and other treatments that
bring them back to a normal, healthier mental state.
According to a criminologist friend of mine, felons
frequently have the same attitudes toward their own
crime, and serious crime in general, that the general
public has. People in prison have more in common with
all the rest of us, than many people realize.
Society has a strong interest in preventing
recidivism. It is very difficult for ex-felons to get
decent jobs. No matter how morally correct they are
on release, their income is usually low.
Enfranchising ex-felons sends a signal to employers
that society is concerned about the welfare of
ex-felons, and benefits us all.
I admit, I haven't read much scholarly literature
about felons or ex-felons. All of us interested in
this issue could probably ought to research it. My
attitudes have been formed partly by being close
friends with an ex-felon. My friend tells me that
most felons in prison in California universally assume
that they won't ever be able to vote again, even
though California enfranchised ex-felons by vote of
the people in 1974. The word doesn't get out.
__________________________________
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