To contend that laws preventing felons from voting are racist because a disproportionate number of blacks are affected is pure old Texas hogwash. The only reason a disproportionate number of blacks will not be able to vote (for Democrats) is because they commit a disproportionate amount of crime.
Personally, I believe that once a felon – white, black, brown or green – has been discharged from his sentence, his right to vote should be restored. But when Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, IT NEVER BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION intended to apply that law for prison inmates and parolees.
IF IT’S RACIAL, IT MUST BE RACIST!
By Jeff Doyle
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 15, 2010
Attorney Sharon Browne of the Pacific Legal Foundation and Center for Equal Opportunity President Roger Clegg argue against granting inmates, and felons in general, voting rights. Arguing race and racism are not synonymous, Brown and Clegg present a very reasoned argument against compelling states to confer voting rights upon felons.
The notion racism has anything to do with prohibiting convicted minorities, blacks in particular, from voting is absurd and ought to offend all law-abiding citizens, not just blacks. 48 states prohibit or otherwise restrict voting by felons–They do so to prevent criminals from casting ballots…criminals of all colors. That the restrictions, in practice, disproportionately affect blacks is disconcerting. But racist?
Hardly.
If only these problems were as simple as the 9th Circuit simpletons would have us believe…[A panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the state of Washington is violating the federal Voting Rights Act by disenfranchising felons.]
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