Entries Categorized with "Felon Disenfranchisement"
- 6 of 6 results
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The Disappearing Vote: A Spotlight on the Disenfranchised Felon Population of the US
- Posted: September 15, 2011
- Author(s): Christina Grier
- Categories: Home, Felon Disenfranchisement
Securing voting rights for every citizen should be a primary goal of the government. Up to 5.3 million people in the United States previously convicted of a felony are currently disenfranchised. While disproportionately affecting African-American men, the lack of voting rights due to having a criminal history serves as a hindrance to a successful re-entrance into society.
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The Constitutional Right to Vote Blog: Felon Disenfranchisement in Iowa
- Posted: January 20, 2011
- Author(s): Right to Vote Blog, Jo McKeegan
- Categories: Right to Vote Amendment, Felon Disenfranchisement, FairVote
Iowa is a poster child for what it means to fail to protect our right to vote in the U.S. Constitution: fundamental democratic rights can then be tossed around like a political football.
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Constitutional Right to Vote Blog: The Right to Vote- More Precious than a Bag of Chips
- Posted: November 18, 2010
- Author(s): Jo McKeegan
- Categories: Right to Vote Amendment, Felon Disenfranchisement
Prior to 2007 in Maryland, a person could have been disenfranchised for committing a variety of “infamous crimes” including the misdemeanor titled “unlawful operation of vending machines”.
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The Constitutional Right to Vote Blog
- Posted: October 21, 2010
- Author(s): Right to Vote Blog
- Categories: Right to Vote Amendment, Felon Disenfranchisement
We must elevate the right to vote to the same standing as other fundamental democratic rights, such as freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly. Our vote is our voice. Each day brings new examples of why such protections are needed, which will be frequently chronicled in this blog.
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Virginia Governor takes action to improve voting rights
- Posted: September 28, 2010
- Author(s): Jo McKeegan
- Categories: Home, Right to Vote Amendment, Felon Disenfranchisement
The process of removing the right to vote from a person convicted of a crime was invented by the Romans and dubbed “civil death”. It is a process that several states in America still implement today, grounded in the disturbing fact that the U.S. Constitution does not provide a citizenship right to vote.
In most states, a person who has completed serving a felony conviction is allowed to register to vote. Other states restrict this right, and in a few remaining states like Virginia, this punishment is a lifelong ban unless a waiver is granted by the governor. Anyone moving into such a state with a past felony conviction will be breaking the law if they vote, even if coming from a state where they had full suffrage rights.
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Felon Disenfranchisement: A Relic of the Past
- Posted: January 13, 2010
- Author(s): Adam Fogel
- Categories: Home, Right to Vote Amendment, Felon Disenfranchisement
People convicted of felonies are permanently disenfranchised in two states--Virginia and Kentucky. History shows that felon disenfranchisement laws are a relic of the days of Jim Crow.