Pubdate: Mon, 11 Jul 2005
Source: Des Moines Register (IA)
Copyright: 2005 The Des Moines Register.
Contact:  http://desmoinesregister.com/index.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/123
Author: Mike Cervantes
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

CEDAR RAPIDS STUDENTS LOBBIED FOR CHANGE

Columnist David Yepsen calls Gov. Tom Vilsack's executive order 
granting voting rights to ex-felons simply a tactic to gain votes. 
There is another possible reason that he leaves out. For the first 
time, a group of high school students lobbied on behalf of voting 
rights for released felons.

Other groups, including the Iowa League of Women Voters, the Iowa 
Civil Liberties Union and Justice Reform Consortium, as well as 
several legislators, have worked on this issue for years and have 
made tremendous progress.

However, this year, a group of students from Metro High School in 
Cedar Rapids made a full-fledged effort to change Iowa's policy 
toward people who have served their time and completed parole or probation.

They gathered information from state agencies, lobbied at the 
Legislature, negotiated with committee members on bill language, 
built a coalition of other schools and individuals, presented 
proposals to the governor's office and generated widespread press on the issue.

Several people, including the governor's staff, state representatives 
and civil-rights activists credit the students' work as the impetus 
toward getting this historic action accomplished this year. We should 
recognize the efforts of these young people. Let's celebrate our 
democracy when it opens the doors to more participation by its citizens.

Let us also celebrate the commitment of our young people when they 
fight for, and sometimes even help enact, real changes in our society.

Mike Cervantes

Iowa City
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MAP posted-by: Beth