In 1988, at the age of 18, I was arrested and convicted of grand theft for stealing and attempting to cash a payroll check. I was given two years probation. At the completion of my probation inwhich I was able to complete under the two year period, My civil rights were restored. I, like many other people have made some terrible choices in their youth. I was able to learn from my poor decision and was able to make the needed adjustments to continue on with my life and become a productive part of society. Under the current administration, a person has to wait 5 to 7 years just to apply to have their civil rights restored. I believe everyone deserves a second chance. As your next Governor, I would push to have the basic civil rights of a person restored upon completion of all court ordered sentence.