Why Kentucky must restore voting rights to former felons: Opinion

Problems neglected by society often fester, negatively affecting not only their direct victims but every member of society at large. This is especially true of problems in the democratic process. In a democracy, every citizen is linked together by the right to vote—the right to have a say in how their community functions—regardless of their differences. When that important right is wrongly stripped from a group of people, all other citizens have a responsibility to stand up against it.

Kentucky now faces a monumental problem with its democracy. 400,000 free Kentuckians, almost 10% of the population, are currently denied the right to vote due to felon disenfranchisement. This simply means that our state constitution bans former felons, who are now free from prison, from voting. About half of those people have had their voting rights temporarily restored by an executive order from Gov. Andy Beshear. Unfortunately, many of them remain unregistered due to the state government failing to inform them of their new rights. Furthermore, the order is a temporal one that can, as it has been in the past, be overturned by the next governor. Although admirable, Beshear’s executive order is not adequate.

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This is wrong on many levels. Prison is supposed to be a punishment for breaking the law. So, when felons leave prison, their punishment should not continue in a free society: studies show that denying freed citizens full participation in their community makes it more likely for them to go back to prison. Worst of all, they are taxed without representation, policed without a political voice, and forced to adhere to laws they had no input in creating.

To combat these wrongs, every Kentuckian must take inspiration from the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” If we work together for our fellow citizens, we can help restore the right to vote to hundreds of thousands—and eliminate an injustice that’s been allowed to fester far too long. As we’ve seen from recent natural disasters in western Kentucky and Appalachia, the people of Kentucky are more than willing and capable to lend a hand to help each other out.

Now that same community energy must be channeled to ensure that all Kentuckians have the right to vote. Our group, Kentucky Students for Criminal Justice Reform, is organizing a movement that will directly challenge felon disenfranchisement in our state and give individual citizens and groups an opportunity to reach out and help their brothers and sisters in need.

We’re calling it Freedom Fall. It will primarily run from August until November and will include various components designed by University of Louisville students to engage, educate and activate the people of Kentucky on voting rights. Writers from the Louisville Political Review, an independent student publication at Louisville, will publish an article series highlighting felon disenfranchisement and the toll it takes on former felons. Student activists will hold community workshops open to the public on critical topics like mass incarceration, the right to vote, and student activism.

The most important piece of Freedom Fall, though, will be our voter drives that directly attack felon disenfranchisement. KSCJR will operate two in Louisville and two in Lexington. These drives will be specifically designed for former felons, but anyone wishing to be registered is certainly welcome. We are a small student organization, so our capabilities to operate drives in other locations across the state are limited, but we have organized them in such a way that any group can run their own. And we will help to guide interested groups through the process of organizing Freedom Fall drives. We are inviting every organization–both big and small, regardless of political positions, race, sex, age, etc. to contribute by organizing drives in their own communities! If you are not a part of a group but still want to help, we are also inviting individuals to be volunteers.

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Collaboration across Kentucky would make Freedom Fall a potent challenge to felon disenfranchisement. It would show lawmakers that Kentuckians are serious about this issue: a crucial first step to permanent restoration of voting rights. But to make that happen, the people of Kentucky must stand up and say unequivocally that we will no longer tolerate the denial of voting rights to any man or woman. And we must act on it! We cannot do it alone: it will take a dedicated commitment to freedom from Kentuckians of all walks of life. We can right this wrong, together.

To collaborate with Kentucky Students for Criminal Justice Reform in the Freedom Fall movement, contact us via email at kystudentsforcjreform@gmail.com, or on Instagram or Facebook @kystudentsforcjreform. 

Nino Owens, Financial Director of the Kentucky Students for Criminal Justice Reform at the University of Louisville.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky should work to restore voting rights to ex-felons