In the great green-red madness called Washington State.

Remember when the House had hearings about felon suffage?  Well, the State Senate - being as dense as a dark star - is going to try their own bill out for a spin.  Try SB 5530.

Being a subscriber to the State Republican e-mail lists, I dug through my e-mails and I thought - thanks to listening to Dennis Prager too much - it was Christmas with a pretty girl under a tree with a bow on her!!!  Apparently Mary Lane of the Dino Rossi campaign sent out this press release with research as to how felons vote Democrat and only Democrats support felon suffrage dated April 28, 2005 which I post for posterity for you all - at the risk of reopening old wounds, a risk negated by some trims:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Mary Lane

April 14, 2005                                                                                                  

Thanks for the advice, Mr. Berendt

But we’ll let the court decide election contest

Bellevue, WA – …“It’s amazing how Christine Gregoire and her subordinates in the Democratic Party continue to ignore the fact that thousands of illegal and improperly cast votes were counted in this election,” said Rossi spokeswoman Mary Lane. 

“Christine Gregoire seems so determined to hang onto power no matter what she doesn’t care how much illegal and improper activity occurred.

“Dino Rossi will continue to pursue the election contest in court because it’s the right thing to do.  The people of Washington deserve a legitimately elected governor, and right now we don’t have one.”Lane said Democrats’ wild claims that felons vote Republican are totally baseless.  If anything, she said, the opposite is more likely true.  For example, The Palm Beach Post in Florida reported that in the 2000 election, more than 5,600 Florida felons voted and 68% of them were registered Democrats. 

Additionally, legislation at the federal and state levels to automatically restore felon voter rights is sponsored exclusively by Democrats.  Why else would Democrats be so eager to let felons vote, Lane said, unless they wanted to expand their voter base?

. . .

###

I also found this on the Sound Politics comment threads:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mary Lane

April 28, 2005 (XXX) XXX-XXXX

King County investigating more felon voters

Bellevue, WA – The Dino Rossi campaign says King County’s announcement today that it is challenging the registrations of more felon voters is another boost to Rossi’s gubernatorial election contest.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office issued a news release today saying it is challenging an additional 110 voters who have prior felony convictions and whose voting rights have not been restored. The total number of felon voters being challenged by King County now stands at 648. The Prosecutor’s Office also indicated it will investigate the records of another 55 felon voters supplied by the state Republican Party.

“When you add up the illegal votes, the improperly cast votes, and all the mistakes in the last election, you get a giant mess,” said Rossi spokeswoman Mary Lane. “At this point not even Christine Gregoire can continue to say with a straight face that this was a ‘model election’ or that anyone can know with certainty who won.”

Lane noted that although Gregoire’s supporters in the Democratic Party are making unfounded claims that more felons vote Republican, available data doesn’t back them up. The Palm Beach Post in Florida reported that in the 2000 election, more than 5,600 Florida felons voted and 68% of them were registered Democrats.

Additionally, so far it’s only Democrats who support legislation granting automatic restoration of felon voting rights, even if the felons haven’t paid off their debts to their victims. Christine Gregoire said recently she supports such legislation.

Sounds to me like Mary Lane - now Mary Lane-Strow.  Maybe people might want to take note of this just as much as they cite Judge Bridges' granting of felon votes based on questionable evidence to Gregoire in the election contest.  Just a thought before we grant all felons not in prison suffrage.