Key Obama constituency identified: jailbirds

The hope here is that regular non-feloniously inclined voters won't be antagonized by pandering to pre-cons or ex-cons.

...The push for new and nontraditional voters is so targeted and aggressive that an NAACP official in Ohio said her organization plans to pursue individuals who are incarcerated but who have not yet been tried or sentenced and, therefore, under state law, remain eligible to vote...

...Ex-offenders are "just everywhere," said Jocelyn Travis, who heads the Ohio NAACP's voter outreach program. "People who have a felony or criminal background are throughout our community, and they don't realize that they have the right to vote."...

If its something like job training, then maybe he'll get away with it. If it smells anything like being soft on crime, then the blowback might well exceed the gain.

Ballsy move. I really want to see how this pans out.

posted by Purp at 08:09 PM

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