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FELON ENFRANCHISEMENT AND THE RIGHT TO VOTE Millions of Americans are barred from the polls because of a felony conviction. Voting is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of our democracy, yet millions of Americans have had their right to vote revoked for periods ranging from the time spent incarcerated to a lifetime. In 11 states, you can lose your right to vote for life. The ACLU is fighting to restore the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people, so that they, like all Americans, will be heard.

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Rhode Islanders Endorse Post-Prison Voting Rights
On Tuesday, November 7, 2007, Rhode Island voters approved Question 2 on the state ballot, a measure that removed the ban on voting by people with felony convictions on parole and probation. The referendum had been placed on the ballot by the state legislature, and received broad support in the state. Rhode Island now joins Massachusetts and New Hampshire in automatically restoring voting rights upon release from prison.
For more information, see www.brennancenter.org >>

ACLU of Mississippi Files Lawsuit To Challenge State's Denial of Voting Rights To Persons With Felony Convictions (October 6, 2006)
Strickland v. Clark, filed against the Secretary of State's Office and the State Attorney General's Office, challenges the denial of voting privileges to two Hinds County residents convicted of a crime not specifically listed in the State's Constitution as a crime that would take away an individual's right to vote. Read More >>

REPORTS
Out of Step With the World
This is the first comprehensive international and comparative analysis of U.S. felony disfranchisement policies. It compares them to other western democracies' policies, particularly those of western Europe, also reflecting on those nations' practices and legal precedents. It also looks at all international human rights treaties, other agreements and rules that bear on this issue, and explains how these provisions relate to U.S. laws.

Purged! How a Patchwork of Flawed and Inconsistent Voting Systems Could Deprive Millions of the Right to Vote

Voting While Incarcerated: A Tool Kit for Advocates Seeking to Register, and Facilitate Voting by, Eligible People in Jail

RECENT NEWS
> U.N. Committee Says U.S. Bans on Former Prisoner Voting Violate International Law (8/24/2006)
> Tennessee Legislature Simplifies Voting Restoration for Ex-Felons (5/17/2006)
> Gov. Bush's Executive Order and Ex-Offender Task Force Overlook Underlying Problem of Felon Disenfranchisement (4/26/2006)

ACLU and BlackElectorate.com Announce Partnership To Raise Awareness Of Felony Disfranchisement (03/04/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union and BlackElectorate.com's "Business and Building" Community are proud to announce the launch of their partnership to raise awareness of the devastating effects of felony disfranchisement on this country’s African-American community. The partnership fuses the strengths of each organization – the ACLU’s longtime involvement in states which set policy on this issue and BlackElectorate.com’s broad audience and close ties with African-American leaders – to give this issue greater visibility within the black community in this historic election year.

ACLU Files Lawsuit to Restore Right to Vote for Former Felons in Arizona (05/31/2007)
PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and the ACLU Voting Rights Project today filed a lawsuit seeking to restore the voting rights of Arizona citizens who have completed prison terms for felony convictions but are denied their civil rights because they owe money to the state or because they committed certain types of felonies.

Florida Clemency Reform Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be, Says ACLU (04/05/2007)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The American Civil Liberties Union expressed disappointment with today’s announcement by Governor Charlie Crist and the Board of Executive Clemency regarding Florida's new rules for restoration of civil and voting rights. Although this first step toward comprehensive reform represents incremental progress, said the ACLU, the new rules fall far short of fixing Florida’s civil and voting rights crisis.

ACLU of Florida Raises Concerns Over Flaws in Civil Rights Restoration Plan (04/02/2007)
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today applauded Governor Charlie Crist’s announcement that he and the cabinet (sitting as the Board of Executive Clemency) will address civil rights restoration for ex-offenders through clemency reform this week. However, the ACLU warned that any plan that has exclusions or requires restitution to be paid before civil rights can be restored would be unfair.

ACLU Hails General Assembly for Passing Maryland Voting Rights Restoration Bill (03/27/2007)
BALTIMORE - After many years of advocacy based on the fundamental principle of democracy, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland today hailed passage of legislation by both houses of the General Assembly to restore the right to vote to individuals who have paid their debt to society. Last week, the Senate voted 28-17 in favor of SB 488, and last night the House passed the legislation by a vote of 78-60. Now, the bill goes to the desk of Governor Martin O'Malley.

Breaking Barriers to the Ballot Box - Felon Enfranchisement Toolkit (01/25/2008)

Out of Step With the World (05/25/2006)
First comprehensive international and comparative analysis of felony disfranchisement policies, examining other western democracies' policies, practices and legal precedents.

Voting While Incarcerated: A Tool Kit for Advocates Seeking to Register, and Facilitate Voting by, Eligible People in Jail (10/04/2005)
This toolkit profiles efforts to register and make voting possible by eligible people in California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., jails. It lists the various models that may be used to register such people and to make it possible for them to vote from these facilities. There is also a list of issues to address with local jail and elections officials as well as specific strategies for success. Attached are sample materials to encourage and explain voting from jail, and resources including the law and voter registration contacts and deadlines for each state.

Purged! How Flawed and Inconsistent Voting Systems Could Deprive Millions of Americans of the Right to Vote (10/19/2004)
Countless eligible voters may be prevented from casting their ballots on Election Day due to non-existent or flawed procedures used by state election officials to purge felons from voter rolls. This report examines inconsistent state purge procedures and provides recommendations for states to reform their voting systems.

Petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (09/13/2006)
Petition alleging violations of the human rights of the New Jersey State Conference NAACP, the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, Councilwoman Patricia Perkins-Auguste, Councilman Carlose J. Alma, Stacey Kindt, Michael Mackason, Charles Thomas, and Dana Thompson, By the USA and the State of New Jersey, with request for an investigation and hearing on the merits.

ACLU Testifies to Enfranchise Rhode Island's Parolees and Probationers (08/23/2005)
Laleh Ispahani of the National ACLU gave the following testimony before committees of the Rhode Island House and Senate in support of legislation that would enfranchise the state's felony parolees and probationers.

Order in Cable News Network v. FL (07/01/2004)

ACLU Complaint in NAACP et al. v. Harvey et al. (01/06/2004)

Letter to Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel Regarding the Felon Disfranchisement of 700 Georgians (04/14/2008)

Map of Felon Disfranchisement in Europe (09/06/2007)

Human Rights Strategies for Felon Enfranchisement Campaigns (06/25/2007)
The purpose of this memo is to briefly summarize the proceedings of the April 17-18, 2007 workshop held in Miami, Florida, "Breaking Barriers to the Ballot: Human Rights and Felon Enfranchisement," geared towards educating U.S. social justice advocates on the use of human rights standards and comparative law on felon disfranchisement, and how these can be used to bolster (not replace) their efforts to end regressive practices in their respective states.

U.N. Committee Says U.S. Bans on Former Prisoner Voting Violate International Law (08/25/2006)