is this true or not "In the seventies and eighties a ever larger group of inmates in California challenged the constitutionality of not allowing felons to vote.Finally the Supreme court of the United States rules in the mid eighties the Supreme court rulled the only reason a citizen could have their right to vote revoked was death or if they were not of age.Florida and any other state that tries to prevent felons from voting is in violation of federal law and this little known supreme court rulling.This is actually the first incidence of a state in violation of this rulling.I have checked and have not found another state that have a law on the books to prevent felons from voteing.Shame on Florida,what ever happend to paying for your crime and that is that.It is bad enough that you must carry the stigma of a "serious" criminal past(unfortunately most felons now a days are not actually criminals but drug addicts who got busted with a small amount of personal stash and were convicted of feloneous possesion)but to punish someone for the rest of their life is definetly unamerican and cruel and unusual punishment.I have been a felon since I was twenty five and I have voted in three different states Colorado Oregon and now Arizona.Good luck and lets hope Florida will see the light and allow its citizens their rightful place at the polls."

-- Marcus Neiman (medigap@hotmail.com), July 31, 2004

Answers

I was amazed to learn that several states including possibly Colorado refuse to recognize an ex-felons right to vote. I remember well the restoration of this basic right by the State of California, and have since moved to Oregon where I have participated in the previous three presidential elections. The denial of this basic right is unconstitutional and should be addressed by all States and investigated at the congressional level wherever there is an obvious violation or oppression of the law.

-- Mark S.Held (buckinfuzzard@yahoo.com), October 12, 2004.