Rick Scott and Cabinet's Decision for Ex-Con Voting Hurdles Seems Bogus, Study Implies

• That isn't exactly true, from voting registration I did in 2008 there was a waiting period for rights restoration even then, though I forget the exact amount of time on that. I remember some of the people I volunteered with for the 08 Obama campaign telling me about how they'd fought for years to get the length of time on rights restoration shortened. I also remember ex-cons telling me they weren't eligible to re-register or register at all yet. I'd have to look it up but rights restoration in Florida was never instantaneous upon release.

•  Continuing to punish criminals after they've done their time is just people taking their vendettas a little too far. We want criminals punished but by our own laws the length of time for incarceration has its limitations. Once you've finished your sentence and your parole there's no REASON behind continuing to deny people their rights. When ex-cons are made to feel apart from the rest of society you only push them back towards the lives of crime they led before. People will always go back to what's familiar when their life is in turmoil and uncertainty. You have to give them reasons to want to stay on the straight and narrow path, and by restoring their rights and making it easier for them to find decent paying jobs you do just that. It's easy for privileged people to say "well if they really wanted to then they'd just do this" but if you've never been underprivileged, if you've never been an addict, or grown up in an abusive family or a bad neighbourhood then you don't really know what it's like. It's easy to judge but it's a lot harder to extend that ounce of kindness that can help people turn their lives around.

• Unfortunately, in March of this year, Governor Rick Scott and members of his Cabinet voted to eliminate the automatic restoration of voting rights for convicted felons. They claim that only individuals who have demonstrated a ...

• First, no one knows which came first, the chicken or the egg. I just think that if someone has done their time, that is the end of it. I come from CT and this is how the law goes. Most progressive States whose civilization is not in the last century also restore rights when their punishment is over.

• What I cannot understand is that if one has served their time and punished by the courts and prisons, why they have to be continually punished? I would think it is unconstitutional to punish someone after they have done their punishment.

• It belongs to the difference between nations with world wide highest prisoner rate (for security reason of course) and for example Old Europe’s nations. Only those ex-cons loose voting their right when it is explicit expressed in verdict by judge. Possibly Correction and Rehabilitation didn’t include teach in democracy as exemplified in AbuGhraib.

• I think the article is confusing cause and effect:  The felons that have turned over a new leaf are more likely to vote, but that doesn't mean that being able to vote made them more likely to turn over a new leaf.  Look, it's very simple:  If you're not willing to follow the law, you can't claim a right to help make the law for everyone else, which is what you are doing when you vote.  The right to vote should not be restored automatically, but carefully and on a case-by-case basis, once the person has shown he has really turned over a new leaf.  Check out our website:  http://www.ceousa.org/content/view/321/93/

• Another day, another lie by governor Scott. What a POS he is.

• another day, another hit job BY governor scott.  What a bad life he leads.

• another day, another hit job on governor scott. What a sad life you lead.

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