2 Studies Find Laws on Felons Forbid Many Black Men to Vote

The New York Times ran an article that summarized the results of the first study to look at felon disenfranchisement laws' effect on voting in individual cities.

National estimates are that five million people, roughly 2.3 percent of the electorate, will be barred from voting in November by state laws that strip felons of voting rights.

Florida is one of nine states that permanently forbid a felon to vote, even after the prison term or time on probation or parole has been fulfilled. Neither Georgia nor Rhode Island goes that far; in both states, a felon can recover the right to vote after serving his time in prison or on probation or parole.

The Sentencing Project has a page with four links that discuss felony disenfranchisement.

Posted by katherine at 12:58 PM