DEAR ABBY: Until late last fall, I was a registered voter in Clackamas County, Oregon. After you urged people to vote, I decided to re-register after changing my address to the local jail where I am being held pending trial, since address changes need to be recorded per Oregon law.
The response I received was a note attached to a photocopy that stated, "I am unable to process your registration until you have completed your sentence." It was attached to a copy of a citation of Oregon law that, in effect, stated that a person with a felony conviction loses the right to vote during the term of imprisonment.
As "Illinois Voter" stated (in your column), "If each community made it easier to vote, more people would vote."
It took letters to the Elections Division, assistant county attorney and Clackamas County Clerk, as well as secretary of state and then-Gov.-Elect Barbara Roberts -- but I continue to be a registered voter as of Dec. 17, 1991, as the laws of the state and the nation provide.
Civil rights for all! What do you say, Abby? -- NO. 90-2310
DEAR "90": Convicted felons are denied the right to vote, but one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.