Cross-posted at Project Vote’s blog, Voting Matters
Weekly Voting Rights News Update
By Erin Ferns
Despite growing political interest among Americans, this November millions of people who “live, work and raise families in our communities” will be denied the right to elect our next president as a result of a past felony conviction. Felon disenfranchisement has raised concerns among advocates and legislators that such laws further perpetuate disparities not only in the electorate, but also in society.
“Voting is a fundamental right, not a privilege for the virtuous,” the Boston Globe editorialized Tuesday. Currently, 25 states deny the voting rights of parolees while 10 states permanently restrict voting rights of some or all felons.
The Globe cited a report by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s School of Law. The non-partisan public policy and law institute is “also touting federal legislation that would guarantee 4 million released prisoners the right to vote at least in federal elections,” according to the Globe.
“Felony disenfranchisement serves no legitimate purpose,” the Brennan Center notes in Restoring the Right to Vote. “More disconcerting,” adds the report, is that “these laws are rooted in the Jim Crow era and were designed to lock freed slaves out of the voting process. It is time to remove this last barrier to the franchise.”
The Globe addressed the issue of former felons – particularly minorities – being disconnected from political and economic life, which in effect “dampens the voting power” for their communities. According to the Brennan Center, 13% of Black men have lost the right to vote at a rate “that is seven times the national average.”
“These statistics mirror stark racial disparities in the criminal justice system,” the Brennan Center reported. “Nearly half of U.S. prison inmates are African-American, even though African Americans make up just 13 percent of the national population.”
Furthermore, “the long-term disenfranchisement of ex-cons creates opportunities for mischief,” the Globe editorialized. “In 2000, Florida denied the vote to innocent people with names similar to those in a national database of felons.”
Today, “legislators and voters are realizing that most prisoners eventually get out, and need to find a place in society. Restoring their right to vote can only help,” the Globe wrote.
A 2006 survey found 60 percent of Americans “think the right to vote is an important factor in a person’s successful reintegration into society after incarceration,” according to the Brennan Center. Picking up on this trend, 12 states introduced bills to extend voting rights to felons this year, including the recently adjourned state of Louisiana, which sent a bill to the governor requiring the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to provide former felons with information on how to register and reinstate voting rights. To monitor this bill as well as those in several other states, visit www.ElectionLegislation.org.
Although the state of Virginia did not introduce such bills during the 2008 legislative session, Governor Tim Kaine recently expressed interest in extending voting rights to non-violent former felons, according to Washington D.C. talk radio station WTOP. Currently, the state permanently disenfranchises convicted felons.
“When somebody wants to participate, I think we ought to have procedures that enable them to once they’ve shown that can do fine in civil society,” said Kaine.
Quick Links:
Wood, Erika. “Restoring the Right to Vote.” Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. February 2008.
“Restoring Voting Rights to Former Felons.” Project Vote. January 2007.
“Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States.” The Sentencing Project. March 2008.
In Other News:
Lawmaker wants to lower voting age – Associated Press
SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Gene Mullin wants to lower the voting age in hopes of boosting participation at the polls among young adults.
New Secretary of State unit dedicated to stop voter fraud – The Clanton Advertiser [Ala.]
MONTGOMERY – Secretary of State Beth Chapman has announced a new Voter Fraud Unit within the Secretary of State’s office dedicated to dealing with reports of voter fraud.
Carcieri proposes photo ID requirement for voters – Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Gov. Don Carcieri is calling for election reform in Rhode Island.
Erin Ferns is a Research and Policy Analyst with Project Vote’s Strategic Writing and Research Department (SWORD).