Roommates, as we await the results of this presidential election, it is important to note that radical changes are being made in other areas of policy as well! California has just passed proposition 17, which will change an important part of the state Constitution in regard to who can vote.
According to KTLA5 news, the passing of prop 17 restores the right to vote to an estimated 50,000 people who have already paid their debt to society. They too should be able to take part in the process that determines the representatives who will make policies that direct impact them, and now parolees can do just that.
“This is a victory for democracy and justice,” said Taina Vargas-Edmund, chair of the Yes On Prop. 17 campaign. The proposition gained about 61% of the more than 9 million ballots that were counted.
Republican State Sen. Jim Nielsen, who was against the passing of the proposition, said that restoring these rights to felons would be a slap in the face to their victims, and would only show that committing crimes is acceptable in the state.
“The victims cannot so blithely put the crimes behind them,” Nielsen said. “The rest of society deserves to know that the just consequences of the sentence has been duly served.”
John Windham, a man who is on parole after serving 30 years in prison for second-degree murder, says that parole should be a means by which people are re-introduced to society, rather than another form of punishment.
“The punitive part of my sentence ended when I walked out of prison,” he said. “Parole is to help me reintegrate into society. I pay my taxes. If you’re going to take my check, I’m going to need to represent myself. You’re saying I’m at the table, but right now I don’t have a voice.”
How do y’all feel about this, Roomies?
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