The debate over allowing the Boston Marathon bomber to vote started with a man named Rick in Muscatine, Iowa.
At a town hall in early April, he reminded Bernie Sanders that prisoners in his home state of Vermont are allowed to vote and asked if that right should be extended nationally. Sanders agreed it should, and before he knew it, he was being asked variations of the question at Fox News and CNN town halls. Sanders’ critics pounced, and the conservative outrage machine kicked into gear, fueled by President Donald Trump.
The chain of events didn’t start by accident: It was orchestrated by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is coaching activists like Rick as part of a multi-million dollar, below-the-radar campaign to get the 2020 candidates on record about its civil liberties priorities.
In related news, Vox reports on a poll finding that 69% of registered voters believe that incarcerated felons should not be allowed to vote, and 89% believe that those incarcerated for terrorism-related crimes shouldn’t be allowed to vote.