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By: Meyer Wolfsheim
Former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, now a candidate for New York’s 17th congressional district, is facing backlash for his past advocacy of a controversial amendment that would have allowed incarcerated felons, including those convicted of serious crimes like rape and murder, to vote from prison.
According to the NY Post, Jones championed the proposal during his time in office, calling the existing federal ban on voting rights for incarcerated individuals a “form of slavery.”
Jones, who did not seek re-election in the 17th district in 2022 due to redistricting that favored Republicans, attempted a comeback by running in the 10th district Democratic primary, where he lost. Now, he’s returning to the 17th district to challenge Republican Rep. Michael Lawler in the upcoming November election. However, his support for prison voting rights in 2021 may become a significant hurdle in his campaign.
The proposed amendment, which Jones co-sponsored alongside left-wing Rep. Cori Bush, aimed to grant voting rights to prisoners but was defeated in the House by a wide margin of 328 to 97. Even several Democrats, including New York’s Rep. Tom Suozzi, opposed the measure. In New York, voting rights are restored to parolees, but those still serving prison sentences remain ineligible.
In a 2021 interview with The Appeal: Political Report, Jones defended his stance, arguing that prisoners should retain the right to vote. “When people are convicted of a crime and are sentenced to, for example, serving time in an incarcerated setting, that is their punishment. It should not be accompanied arbitrarily by the deprivation of a right as fundamental as the right to have a say in who represents one in office,” Jones said, according to the NY Post.
He went on to call the denial of voting rights to prisoners “inhumane” and a continuation of the “New Jim Crow.”
Law-enforcement groups and Rep. Lawler have strongly criticized Jones for his position, accusing him of prioritizing the rights of criminals over the victims. Vincent Vallelong, president of the NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association, expressed outrage at the idea of allowing convicted murderers and cop-killers to vote from prison. “I cannot imagine how any elected official could justify allowing them to vote from prison. It defies logic and is an affront to all common sensibilities,” Vallelong told the NY Post.
The controversy has also drawn attention to the infamous 1981 Brinks robbery in Rockland County, part of the 17th district, where three people, including two police officers, were killed. Larry Ayers, president of the Rockland County PBA, noted that Jones’ amendment would have allowed the convicted cop-killers involved in that case to vote from prison. He described Jones’ advocacy as “appalling” and reason enough to keep him out of office.
Rep. Lawler’s campaign has seized on the issue, branding Jones as an extremist. Chris Russel, a spokesperson for the Lawler campaign, stated, “Extremist Mondaire Jones is so radical that he wants to let cop-killers, child rapists, and murderers vote from prison,” according to the NY Post. He added that Jones’ stance on criminal justice reform makes him unfit for public office.
Jones, however, remains unapologetic, accusing Lawler of trying to disenfranchise voters and pointing to Lawler’s controversial comments about his district’s Democratic voters. Jones’ campaign spokesperson Shannon Geison also criticized Lawler’s record, highlighting his votes to defund law enforcement.
