Strange political bedfellows rally behind felon voting rights bill in Kentucky
Unlikely political allies are joining together to push a bill in this year’s Kentucky law-making session to allow voting rights to be automatically reinstated for most felons who have served their time.
Sen. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, unveiled the bill Friday at a Capitol news conference. Joining with him in support were representatives of the ACLU of Kentucky, which often fights for liberal causes; Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian/conservative political advocacy group funded by the Koch Brothers; and the Catholic Conference of Kentucky.
“Too often we see politics get in the way of progress in Frankfort,” said McGarvey. “What you are seeing right now is a culmination of a month-long effort to bring people together across the political spectrum to answer this question: What is the right thing to do?
“The answer resoundingly is this bill is the right thing to do.”
Kentucky is one of three states that does not allow people with felony convictions to vote after completing their sentences. Kentucky, along with Iowa and Virginia, require that rights be restored with a pardon from the governor.
Senate Bill 238 would let citizens vote on a constitutional amendment that would automatically restore the voting rights of most felons who have completed their sentences, including probation and parole. The exceptions would be convictions for murder, sexual crime or bribery in elections.
Kentuckians could not vote on the measure until November 2020.
McGarvey said the bill would affect 312,000 people in Kentucky.
Former Gov. Steve Beshear filed an executive order shortly before leaving office to restore voting rights to individuals with former non-violent felony convictions, but Gov. Matt Bevin, in late 2015, reversed the order, saying the change required a constitutional amendment.
Andrew McNeil, state director for Americans for Prosperity, said his organization did not consider whether the bill would help Democrats or Republicans. Some critics of the bill have said it would swell voter rolls for Democrats.
McNeil said that is not a consideration for his organization.
