new york governor andrew cuomo on wednesday signed an executive order to restore the voting rights of felons in the state. there are nearly 35,000 people barred from voting while on parole from a felony conviction.
48 states strip people of their voting rights after their felony convictions. cuomo's order allows felons to vote after completing their sentences. historically, the state legislature refused to change its policies. "i'm unwilling to take no for an answer, i'm gonna make it law by executive order and i announce that here today," cuomo said.
the executive order applies to those on parole now, and those eligible for it in the future. the state's department of corrections and community supervision will submit a list of current paroless to the governor's office. the department will also provide a monthly list of new parolees, and determine their eligibility for conditional pardons to restore their voting rights.
according to the sentencing project, there were over 6.1 million disenfranchised americans in 2016 due to felony convictions. the idea of stripping voters' rights of criminals dates back to ancient greece and rome. some american states adopted these laws around the civil war to oppress blacks. in 2016, one in 13 blacks were disenfranchised - four times the rate of other americans.
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