Central Kentucky KFTC members encourage local officials to take a stand on voting rights

The Central Kentucky chapter has been making the rounds within the Lexington city council to talk to local officials about KFTC's restoration of voting rights for former felons campaign and to encourage them to publicly support voting rights for all people.

KFTC has been working very hard during the last several years within the general assembly to gain traction on HB70 - a bill that would automatically restore voting rights to non-violent offenders once they've served their time. Each year more progress has been made, but chapter members wanted something they could focus on locally and outside of the general assembly that could educate people about the need for this legislation if Kentucky can ever expect to have a healthy and working democracy.

Chapter members decided that they would put pressure on the Lexington city council to pass a resolution in favor of restoring voting rights to former felons. This resolution, though only symbolic (local governments don't have the authority to overturn the law that permanently disenfranchises former felons), would serve to educate the city about the campaign and gain public support for when the issue becomes a referendum that people have to vote on.

So far the conversations that members have had with local officials have been positive. The chapter plans on meeting with every council member before the end of the summer so that action can be taken before the November election.

If you're interested in being a part of this effort, please contact the local organizer at [email protected]