In twelve states, convicted felons can permanently lose their right to vote, even after being released from prison, according to the nonprofit organization ProCon.org. Florida is among those states, as are three other battlegrounds in this year’s Presidential election: Virginia, Nevada, and Iowa. And in the remaining states, the restoration of voting rights to ex-convicts is based on widely varying conditions. Some allow re-enfranchisement upon release from prison. Others grant the right only after the individual’s probation is completed.<\/p>\n
In 2011, the Florida legislature repealed a 2007 law that mandated automatic restoration of voting rights to ex-prisoners who completed their sentence, including probation. Some 23 states have moved in the opposite direction in the past decade, restoring some or all voting rights to ex-convicts. Despite this limited progress, voting rights advocates say the number of disenfranchised ex-offenders is still growing.<\/p>\n
Desmond Meade is an ex-convict, law student, and president of the Florida Rights (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In twelve states, convicted felons can permanently lose their right to vote, even after being released from prison, according to the nonprofit organization ProCon.org. Florida is among those states, as are three other battlegrounds in this year’s Presidential election: Virginia,…<\/span><\/p>\n