If you vote in Georgia’s 4th Congressional District, please be especially cautious when you visit the polls this election year. That’s because the woman who represents you in the U.S. House of Representatives, Cynthia McKinney, is using taxpayer dollars to encourage convicted felons to get out and vote!

In the Fall, 2005, issue of her taxpayer funded district newsletter, “The Fourth District Chronicle,” McKinney devotes a 3”x2” space prominently next to the mailing address section that announces, “VOTE! *Important* Convicted felons can vote if: All your time has been served, you completed parole or probation, all your fines have been paid.”

Congresswoman McKinney must think it appropriate to use YOUR hard-earned tax dollars to educate convicted felons on their rights. Not surprisingly, she doesn’t devote any space in the newsletter to the recruitment of law-abiding voters. If you’re one of Cynthia McKinney’s constituents, call her and let her know that you are outraged at such a misuse of your tax dollars and encourage her to be more responsible in the future. Congresswoman McKinney may be reached at her district office in Decatur, 404.633.0927, or her Washington, D.C. office on Capitol Hill, 202.225.1605.

It's time for politicians like Cynthia McKinney to stop abusing the system in this manner. As elected officials, we ought to educate voters and encourage participation without pandering to convicted felons. Actions like these only serve to degrade the integrity of and undercut public confidence in our elections. As your Secretary of State, I will do everything in my power to crack down on politicians who exploit the system like this.

In an ongoing effort to spotlight the importance of election reform and ballot security in Georgia, I have created this series of weekly email alerts called the "Voter Outrage of the Week." Each week, I will highlight a different shocking example of voter fraud and how it relates to our election reform efforts here in Georgia. I hope you find these messages both informative and revealing. These messages are now archived at www.BillStephens.com.

Senator Bill Stephens is running for Secretary of State. He is the incumbent Senator from the 27th District, the former Senate Majority Leader, and previously served as Governor Perdue’s Administration Floor Leader and as Chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. Senator Stephens may be reached via e-mail at http://bill.stephens@billstephens.com.