Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Wisconsin in dubious company: Felony convictions and voting disenfranchisement



Why 10% of Florida Adults Can’t Vote: How Felony Convictions Affect Access to the Ballot.  (The New York Times, 10/6/2016)
Across the nation, one in 13 African-American adults cannot vote because of a felony conviction. In Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, more than one in five African-Americans cannot vote. 
Experts cite disparities in sentencing as the underlying cause: A black person is more likely to be convicted of a felony than a white person who committed the same crime.

Related reading:
6 Million Lost Voters: State-Level Estimates of Felony Disenfranchisement, 2016.  (The Sentencing Project, 10/6/2016)

No comments: