Felon Voting: Another Example of the Politicization of DOJ

Hans A. von Spakovsky, former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice, and Roger Clegg, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, have written a fascinating Legal Memorandum on Felon Voting.  While part of the Legal Memorandum discusses a specific bill, it makes some very important larger points on felon voting. 

It also serves to remind us again of the unprecedented politicization of the Department of Justice during the Obama Administration.  Liberals and individuals such as Obama Administration Attorney General Eric Holder advocate for felon enfranchisement primarily as a source of additional Democrat votes. 

Mr. Von Spakovsky and Mr. Clegg point out felon enfranchisement hurts victims of crime:

Indeed, the people whose votes will be diluted the most if criminals are allowed to vote will be law-abiding people in high-crime areas—people who are themselves often disproportionately poor and minority. Liberal civil-rights groups lobbying against felon disenfranchisement seem to have less concern for those victims.

If felons are allowed to vote, local elections in high crime areas, such as for School Board and Sheriff, are going to be influenced by re-enfranchised felons.  The voices of their victims will be diluted.  However, for national or statewide elections Democrats will be helped as felons vote overwhelming for Democrats. 

Of course this is also another way to play the political race card to aid with Democrat turnout with claims that felons are disenfranchised because they are disproportionately African American.  Again, the lie is proved by Mr. Holder’s own actions as Von Spakovsky and Clegg note:

If there were evidence that such [racially motivated felon disenfranchisement] discriminatory laws were still on the books, there are many well-funded civil rights advocacy organizations, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, that would be eager to challenge them. The fact that no such challenges are being brought indicates that such evidence likely does not exist.

Again, liberals and the Obama Administration are politicizing justice.  If they weren’t, they would be fighting for victims and not playing the race card for political gain.