Explanatory statement. "This amendment would repeal the authority of the legislature to exclude persons with mental illness from voting.
A vote FOR this amendment would ensure that the right to vote for persons with mental illness cannot be taken away by the legislature.
A vote AGAINST this amendment would continue the current authority of the legislature to take away the right to vote for persons with mental illness.
Disqualification to vote. The legislature may, by law, exclude persons from voting because of mental illness or commitment to a jail or penal institution. No person convicted of a felony, under the laws of any state or of the United States, unless pardoned or restored to his civil rights, shall be qualified to vote." End quote.
As of late last night, the bulk of the voters were voting "yes" to accept this amendment to the Constitution. I cannot say for sure that this amendment was allowed to pass.
VLE-B
This makes me so angry, as I struggle with mental illness on a daily basis. It seems to say that those of us with mental illness can't think straight enough to make decisions. It's discriminatory. I haven't heard whether it passed or not, but I would think that in a country such as this one, this would not even be a question.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw this on the ballot, I was also very miffed! As you know, I also suffer with BPD all of the time. After I did more research, I realized that they were basically just re-wording what it had originally said. Way back, the authors of the Constitution thought that we should be exempt. Now, they just want that phrase dropped. Originally, any person currently serving time or who have been in prison were not allowed to vote--ever. Now it is permissable as long as you are not in prison at the time of the election and have had your rights to vote restored.
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