State's Laws Felons Prevent 1.4 Million Black Men From Voting In The U.S.: Report

Jet, Nov 23, 1998

About 3.9 million citizens in the U.S. were not able to take part in this year's election because of U.S. disenfranchisement laws (legislation which forbids citizens the right to vote) regarding convicted felons. The citizens most affected by these laws are Black men.

Thirteen percent of the total Black male population, 1.4 million, are disenfranchised. Those numbers represent just over one-third (36 percent) of the total disenfranchised population.

This information was released in a report called "Losing the Vote, The Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States." It was conducted by The Sentencing Project, an advocacy organization for prisoners' rights, and Human Rights Watch, an organization which monitors human rights throughout the world, which also supports allowing convicts to vote, even though they have been deprived of freedom.

"Restrictions on the franchise in the United States seem to be singularly unreasonable as well as racially discriminatory, in violation of democratic principles and international human rights law," the report states.

In some states, once a felon completes his sentencing, voting rights are restored. However in 10 states, Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Virginia and Wyoming, a convicted felon never regains his right to vote.

The rule in these states affects more than 1 million convicted felons who have completed their sentences.

In Alabama and Florida, 31 percent of all Black men are permanently disenfranchised. In five states, Iowa, Mississippi, New Mexico, Virginia and Wyoming, one in four Black men (24 to 28 percent) is permanently disenfranchised.

Four states, Maine, Massachusetts, Utah and Vermont, do not have disenfranchisement laws.

Disenfranchisement laws vary by state. While some keep convicted felons from voting ever, in some states, like Illinois, only people who are in prison cannot vote. In Georgia, if the person is in prison, on probation or on parole, he is disenfranchised. In Texas, an ex-felon cannot vote for two years after he has completed his sentence.

The disproportionate rate of disenfranchisement among Black men reflects their disproportionate rate of incarceration, the report cites. In 1996, the imprisonment for Black men was 8.5 times that of White men. In the past 10 years, the rate for Black men increased 10 times the increase rate of White men.

The report also notes that estimates for the number and racial composition of disenfranchised women have not been developed.