New York Governor to Restore Voting Rights to People on Parole

Date:  04-19-2018 Gov. Andrew Cuomo would consider pardons for 35,000 people on parole, and also for people with a new felony conviction on a monthly basis

From The New York Times: ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday that he intends to restore voting rights to felons on parole, a move that could open the ballot box to more than 35,000 people. The mechanism through which Mr. Cuomo plans to do so is unusual: He would consider pardons for all 35,000 people currently on parole in New York, as well as any new convicted felons who enter the parole system each month. The move amounts to a legal sidestep of the State Legislature, where the Republican-controlled Senate has opposed many of Mr. Cuomo’s proposed criminal justice reforms. It does not change state law, which currently bars convicted felons from voting unless they are on probation or have completed parole. Continue reading >>>