Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) | Photo Courtesy of Adam Niemerg
Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) | Photo Courtesy of Adam Niemerg
State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) is expressing his disappointment a drive by Democrats to allow the incarcerated to vote.
"A voter block such as this raises some questions about the unintended consequences of this piece of legislation," Niemerg said, according to Just The News. "Perhaps, they are the intended consequences of this being a Democratic voter drive, so to speak.”
State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) has advocated for the bill that would allow Illinois prisoner to vote. Ford is an advocate of voting in prison.
“I’m confident that the state and the country is leaning toward making sure people have full protection and full rights in this country,” Ford said, according to Just the News. Ford noted Maine and Vermont currently allow prisoners to vote. However, the jail populations in those states are significantly smaller than Illinois' inmate count.
SB 828 “provides that a person convicted of a felony, or under sentence in prison or jail, who is disqualified upon conviction from voting shall have his or her right to vote restored and shall be eligible to vote not later than 14 days following his or her conviction.”
If SB 828, over 30,000 inmates across the state will be allowed to vote while being held on even the most serious crimes.
Other Democrat voting districts have sought to increase the voting pool by allowing illegal immigrants to vote. Washington, D.C. is set to allow illegal immigrants to vote in the city’s upcoming municipal elections. New York City aimed to give 800,000 non-citizens the ability to vote in local elections earlier this year. State Supreme Justice Ralph J. Porzio eventually rejected the local ordinance, pointing out that state and constitutional rules forbade non-citizens from exercising their right to vote.
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