Voting Rights for Felons

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    ^htija Tiafts Nhr Nlghjs

    dy ]ie Gll

    ]fl riaft th vhtl is c prl`ihus nrllmhe. It is c priviglal. Ecjy plhpgl wfh fcvl tfl riaft

    th vhtl mh jht trugy cpprl`ictl fhw iephrtcjt tfis hpphrtujity is, cjm mh jht lxlr`isl it.

    Ij ecjy `hujtrils, tfl riaft th vhtl is jht ujivlrscg c`rhss phpugctihjs. Ij shel `csls tflmistij`tihj dltwllj tfhsl wfh fcvl tfl riaft th vhtl cjm tfhsl wfh mh jht is dcslm shglgyhj aljmlr. Qhrms `cjjht prhplrgy lxprlss fhw ctrh`ihus it is tfct ij tflsl situctihjs

    whelj crl mljilm tfis riaft. Ij htflr `hujtrils, it is nlghjs wfh crl mljilm tfis riaft th

    tckl pcrt ij tfl phgiti`cg prh`lss.Lc`f plrshj's vhi`l cjm vhtl ecttlr. It ecttlrs rlacrmglss hn tflir aljmlr, tflir rc`l, hr

    tflir fisthry hn `hjvi`tihj. Gcws crl pcsslm tfct cnnl`t nlghjs, ylt tfhsl nlghjs crl jht

    cdgl th lxprlss tflir jllms cjm `hj`lrjs cdhut su`f glaisgctihj hj tfl dcgghts. ]flrl is c

    `ugturl hn "Mh wfct wl scy, jht cs wl mh" tfct rujs rcepcjt tfrhuaf hur ahvlrjeljt?tfly `cj gieit tfl ijngulj`l hn c arhup hn ijmivimucgs th dlttlr slrvl tfleslgvls. ]fis isj't

    oust.

    It eckls el gcuaf wflj I sll `fcrc`tlrs hj c ]^ sfhw hr ij c ehvil eckl stctleljtscdhut fhw nlghjs mh jht fcvl tfl riaft th vhtl. Nlghjs fcvl tfl riaft th vhtl hj`l tfly crl

    hnn prhdctihj hr pcrhgl, hr cntlr rlglcsl nrhe prishj, ij 06 stctls. Ij Ecijl cjm ^lrehjt,

    ijectls fcvl tfl riaft th vhtl. ]fct is fhw it sfhugm dl ij lvlry stctl cjm tlrrithry hn tfis

    `hujtry, dl`cusl ecjy gcws crl pcsslm tfct cnnl`t ijectls cjm nlghjs, cjm tfly sfhugm dlcgghwlm th fcvl tflir vhi`l flcrm rlacrmija tfhsl issuls. Oust dl`cusl shelhjl is gh`klm

    up sfhugm jht elcj tfct tfly sfhugm jht dl cnnhrmlm tfl riaft th vhtl. ]flrl crl

    glaisgcthrs wfh carll witf tfct stctleljt, cjm wl jllm th fcvl ehrl wfh fcvl tfctplrspl`tivl. ]flrl crl hvlr 4 eiggihj plhpgl ij`cr`lrctlm ij tfis `hujtry--tfct's c

    sudstcjticg cehujt hn phtljticg vhtija phwlr.

    Ij 34 stctls tflrl crl `hjmitihjs tfct eust dl elt dlnhrl c nlghj rlacijs tfl riaft th vhtl.

    Ij shel `csls tflrl is c spl`inilm cehujt hn tiel tfct eust pcss cntlr tflir rlglcsl nrhetfl prishj systle. C nlw stctls `hepgltlgy rlvhkl c nlghj's riaft th vhtl witfhut fhpl nhr

    rlijstctleljt dcslm hj tfl `riel hn wfi`f tfly wlrl `hjvi`tlm. ]fis is c stctl-dy-stctl

    glaisgctihj; in tfhsl `itizljs ehvl th cjhtflr stctl witfhut tflsl rlstri`tihjs, tflir riaft thvhtl is rlsthrlm.

    Figgcry @gijthj hj`l stctlm tfct sfl nlgt cgg plhpgl sfhugm fcvl tfl riaft th vhtl, `hjvi`tlm

    nlghjs ij`gumlm. ]fl plrpltuctihj hn tfis phijt hn vilw is hn utehst iephrtcj`l.@hjvi`tlm nlghjs nc`l c minni`ugt prh`lss hn rlij`hrphrctihj ijth sh`ilty cntlr tflir

    sljtlj`l? nijmija c ml`ljt ohd cjm tckija `crl hn tfleslgvls murija tfis prh`lss is

    iephrtcjt th nuturl su``lss, lspl`icggy witf tfl jlactivl stiaec cttc`flm th plhpgl witf c

    rl`hrm. Tlvhkija tfl riaft th vhtl nrhe tfis arhup hn plhpgl slarlactls tfle nurtflr nrhetfl rlst hn tfl phpugctihj dy gcdlgija tfle cs "ujmlsircdgls." Jht lvlryhjl `hjvi`tlm hn c

    nlghjy is c dcm plrshj. Jht cgg nlghjils crl vihgljt ij jcturl, cjm jht cgg nlghjs, lvlj tfhsl

    `hjvi`tlm hn c vihgljt `riel, crl mcjalrhus plhpgl. ]flrl crl plhpgl, eyslgn ij`gumlm,

    `hjvi`tlm hn eurmlr wfh crl jht vihgljt plhpgl.Ij cmmitihj th ghsija tfl riaft th vhtl, tflrl crl pgc`ls ij tfis `hujtry wflrl nlghjs `cjjht

    slrvl hj c oury. Oust dl`cusl c plrshj fcs dllj `hjvi`tlm hn c nlghjy mhls jht elcj tfly

    crl ujijtlggialjt hr ujcdgl th mltlreijl tfl minnlrlj`l dltwllj riaft cjm wrhja cjm hnnlrcj ujdicslm hpijihj. Ij nc`t, tflsl plhpgl hnnlr c ujiqul phijt hn vilw dcslm hj tflir

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    lxplrilj`ls witf tfl oumi`icg cjm prishj systles. Qfltflr hr jht c plrshj fcs dllj th

    prishj mhls jht splck th tflir cdigity th dl ujdicslm; ijmllm, tflrl crl jhj-nlghjs wfh

    slrvl hj ourils wfh crl dicslm cacijst `lrtcij slaeljts hn tfl phpugctihj.Lc`f hn us fcs c vhi`l, cjm tfct vhi`l sfhugm dl flcrm, wfltflr tfly crl c nlghj hr jht.

    ]fl riaft th vhtl sfhugm jht dl mljilm th shelhjl dcslm hj tflir pcst eistckls. Qfh hn

    us `cj turj dc`k tiel th `fcjal phhr ml`isihjs wl fcvl ecml8 ]fl strljatf hn tfis`hujtry gils ij its cdigity th lvhgvl. Ql fcvl c fisthry hn rlplcgija gcws mlsiajlm thmisljnrcj`fisl sudslts hn tfl phpugctihj, cjm rlplcgija tfhsl gcws wcs tfl riaft tfija th

    mh. ]fl riaft th vhtl is c prl`ihus nrllmhe tfct sfhugm dl hnnlrlm th cgg slaeljts hn tfl

    phpugctihj, ij`gumija tfhsl plhpgl wfh fcvl ecml eistckls ij tflir pcst. Lvlry vhi`l isiephrtcjt. Lvlry vhi`l ecttlrs. Lvlry vhi`l sfhugm dl flcrm, cjm mlslrvls th dl flcrm.

    @hpyriaft 423= dy ]ie Fhnnjlr