Disenfranchisement and Rights Restoration: Spotlight on States
All states other than Maine and Vermont disenfranchise at least some Americans with a felony conviction, stripping millions of the right to vote. Some are now considering abolishing this practice altogether, as well as adopting other reforms. 2019 alone saw multiple states advance, adopt, or implement legislation to restrict or end felony disenfranchisement.
This series spotlights the way in which this system works within individual states, and the pathways to reform in each.
Dec. 2019: Kentucky and New Jersey
Kentucky and New Jersey restore the voting rights of 200,000 in one week. Advocates in both states vow further action.
Nov. 2019: Kentucky & Virginia
Tuesday’s elections boost voting rights for people with criminal convictions.
Sept. 2019: Kentucky & Virginia
Elections could expand voting rights this fall. They will take place in an “intolerable condition.”
July 2019: Florida
Lawyers and advocates in Miami-Dade County will roll out a new plan to counter the disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions.
May 2019: National
March 2019: Hawaii
Feb. 2019: Massachusetts
March 2019: Florida
Jan. 2019: New Mexico
Can New Mexico provide a new model for reform? A new bill would end disenfranchisement.
Updates: Bill takes first step in legislature (Jan. 25), is later amended for a narrower scope (March 4).
