Friday Roundup: Alaskans Vote for a Felon Who Can't Vote

What a week. I still can't believe it's real. But there's plenty to cover in the roundup, so I'm gonna take a break from researching the best puppy for the Obamas and get back to covering crime and punishment for y'all. (Plus, as we all know, Malia already researched the dog situation thoroughly, and she wants a goldendoodle.)

I've written a lot in recent weeks about granting the right to vote to felons. But I think some of my Alaskan readers might have misread. I said the give the vote to felons, not vote for felons.

But the damage is done. They're recounting in a tight senate race up there between Russia and Canada, and newly minted felon Ted Stevens is ahead. It remains to be seen whether he'll resign, get kicked out, get a pardon from George Bush or serve until he goes to prison.  If he does step down, will Sarah Palin nominate herself to take his place?

In California, the story was in the referenda. Voters were all over the map on ballot measures this election, but the general tone was conservative. The most depressing news nationwide Tuesday night was the passage of Prop. 8 banning same-sex marriage. At the same time, voters rejected all of the criminal justice measures before them- except the one that promised more prison and less reform. Prop 5, which would have reformed the criminal justice system in favor of treatment for non-violent offenders, was struck down, while Prop 9 passed with 53% of the vote. Prop 9 is essentially the anti-Prop 5 - a tough-on-crime law that throws more inmates into cells and more money into prisons without an end in sight.

Locally, San Francisco's Prop K (decriminializing prostitution) failed, as did Prop A in Los Angeles, which would have funded afterschool programs to keep kids out of gangs.

In Texas, Scott Henson of Grits for Breakfast followed judge, sheriff and DA races closely, and pointed out that the power of incumbency is an amazing inertial barrier for judges. Henson also wrote an interesting piece today about babysitting while white.

Obama's landslide coattails were indeed long in this election and state legislatures swung strongly toward to the Democrats. These are the bodies where much of our criminal justice policy is made, and while nearly every politician in the world claims to be "tough on crime," the Democrats tend to be more open to state treatment programs and other progressive initiatives to reduce crime and help released inmates get back on their feet. The Dems have control of 27 legislatures, up from 23 two years ago. And when including governors, Democrats control all state government in 17 states, while Republicans have eight.

I'll close with one more nugget of Obama excitement - Newark Mayor Corey Booker thinks President Barack might take on the prison-industrial complex.