Iowa Governor Restores Voting Rights to Former Felons (other than those convicted of crime involving homicide).
The Governor of Iowa has signed an executive order restoring the voting rights and the right to hold public office, to most people who have committed criminal offenses.
The good is that it does not exclude persons who have committed an offense in the category of “sex offenses”
The good is that the preamble recognizes that restoration of voting rights will make our communities safer!
The bad is that it still carves out individuals convicted of a “707” offense, which includes homicide-related offenses, including such things as pre-meditated murder, involuntary manslaughter and partial birth abortions.
While we are pleased that the governor did not carve out our population, we are displeased that any category of offense was carved out. All individuals should be given back their rights as citizens once they completely repay their debt to society. If there offense were so heinous and their debt to repay was so great, they should be serving life sentences and this would be a non-issue.
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Congresswoman Val Demings from Orlando tweeted that she is going to introduce a bill that prohibits any state from denying voting rights to any citizen regardless of criminal conviction.
Now she is making sense. That would be a major step in restoring safety and security to a community .
Persons convicted of homicide crimes are people too. As I have friends that I knew in prison convicted of manslaughter and murder.