This coming November, Californians have several Propositions to vote for. Often times these are quite confusing so I thought I would explain this in laymen’s terms. For what it is worth I will also give my own reasoning on why I support or oppose these Propositions. To see the Propositions in their entirety you can go to www.ballotpedia.org
Proposition 17 is a constitutional amendment that would allow people who are still on parole from felony convictions to vote in California.
Currently, the California Constitution disqualifies people with felonies from voting until their imprisonment and parole are completed. The ballot measure would change the state constitution to allow felons who are on parole to vote. The ballot measure would keep current imprisonment as a disqualification for voting but allow them to vote once they are released from prison and serving their parole.
A “yes” vote supports this constitutional amendment to allow people on parole with felony convictions to vote.
A “no” vote opposes this constitutional amendment, thereby continuing to prohibit people who are on parole for felony convictions from voting.
My Opinion: A No Vote – Why? Voting is a privilege. It needs to be earned back, just like felons need to earn their way back into society by showing they can be a law-abiding citizen. Citizens who obey the law should be the ones who are allowed to vote. If an ex-felon completes their parole, then I believe they have earned that right back. Think about it, do you want felons to be able to vote for “soft on crime” measures? Democrats know they have a tough challenge to beat President Trump and they realize that they need every vote they can get. Like the Mail-In- Ballots they are pushing for, this is just another way for Democrats to widen their voter base yet again. No surprise that the politicians who support this Amendment to the California Constitution are ALL Democrats.