RESTORING "RIGHT" IN THE RIGHT TO VOTE

Citizens with past felony convictions still can't vote in many states

State Spotlight: Florida and Maryland activists plan July 26 Voting Rights Restoration Day, while several states pass legislation extending the franchise.

Washington, DC – July 22, 2003 – The common belief among Americans that voting is a right rather than a privilege is being undermined by state laws denying this right to ex-offenders who have served their sentences. Many state and national groups are mounting campaigns to overturn disenfranchisement laws that they say disproportionately affect minority and low-income voters and thus are a continuation of the segregationist voting laws overturned 40 years ago.

According to Demos (www.demos-usa.org, 212-633-1405) 4,653,587 voters were disenfranchised in the 48 states that limit the voting rights of the felon population. Of those, 35% had completed their sentences, including parole or probation. The impact of these numbers on race and democracy are exacerbated by the huge racial discrepancy that already exists in the prison population. Most felons are white, but a black citizen is five times more likely to be disenfranchised than a white citizen.

“The right to vote is just that: a right that is no less important than any of our rights that are spelled out in the Constitution,” said John B. Anderson, the former Congressman who chairs the Center for Voting and Democracy. “Denying that right puts democracy itself at risk. Denying it to a population that is disproportionately minority puts the gains of the civil rights movement in jeopardy.”

The extent of felony disenfranchisement varies widely. Maine and Vermont allow prisoners to vote, while eleven states bar voting for life once someone is convicted of a felony. Many states that allow ex-felons to vote often make restoring voting rights a complicated and lengthy process. In addition to Demos, the Sentencing Project’s Marc Mauer (202-628-0871) is a valuable resource on state laws.

Florida is one such state where ex-offenders can renew their rights, but only after a process that can take two years. The Rights Restoration Coalition, a group of civic and religious organizations, is aiming to overturn the law as well as assist ex-offenders in applying for reinstatement. They have declared July 26, to be Voting Rights Restoration Day and will be conducting workshops on the issue around the state.

“In the name of fundamental fairness, once a person has paid their debt and served their time, they should be able to become a full citizen again,” said Courtenay Strickland, Voting Rights Project Director for the ACLU of Florida. (www.aclufl.org, 305- 576-2337 ext.18) “What we’re doing is creating degrees of citizenship and that doesn’t really look like a democracy.”

Thanks to the efforts of similar organizations and a statement of support from the Carter-Ford electoral reform commission, several states have taken steps toward renewed voting rights. The Maryland Rights Restoration Coalition won passage of a bill renewing voting rights to non-violent offenders in 2002 and is holding its own Voting Rights Restoration Day on July 26. In 2002, Connecticut restored full voting rights to 36,000 citizens on probation. Legislation has been introduced in at least 10 states in 2003.

Democracy USA is a new initiative designed to protect, enhance and exercise the power of the right to vote. Coordinated by the Center for Voting and Democracy, its November conference has backing from several leading national organizations. For more information, visit www.democracyusa.org.

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