More than 5 million people with felony convictions can’t vote in this year’s election, advocacy group finds
A recent study from the Sentencing Project estimates that over 5.1 million Americans cannot vote because of felony convictions. Felon disenfranchisement laws vary from state to state. Only two states (Vermont and Maine) allow convicted felons to vote while in prison, while the remaining 48 states deny felons voting rights until they are released from prison, complete their sentence, or permanently. These laws have a disproportionate effect on African-Americans and Latinos.
Click here to read the Sentencing Project’s full study.
Image courtesy of Michael Fleshman (CC BY-SA 2.0)
