Felony Convictions Disenfranchise Many Voters

Two separate studies have found that voter-disenfranchisement laws may be disproportionately affecting black men, many of whom have felony drug convictions that prevent them from voting, the New York Times reported Sept. 23.

Both studies examined the effect of felon disenfranchisement laws on voting in individual cities -- Atlanta, Ga., and Providence, R.I.

The first study found that Georgia' felon-disenfranchisement law was responsible for a two-thirds gap in voter registration between black males and other ethnic and gender groups. One-third of the black men in Georgia who had lost their voting rights because of a felony had been convicted of a drug crime.

"We have the conventional wisdom that African-American males register to vote at lower rates because of political apathy," said study author Ryan King of The Sentencing Project, a research and prisoners-rights group based in Washington. But he added that the new research indicates that "their registration is artificially suppressed by the disproportionate effect of their disenfranchisement."

He added, "This is important because drug arrests are inherently discretionary." Previous research has found that blacks do not use drugs more than whites. However, blacks are arrested more often on drug charges, and are convicted more often.

The second study found that one in every four black men in Providence will be unable to vote in this year's election because of the state's felon-disenfranchisement laws.

The study also found that disenfranchisement was seen more in poor neighborhoods, where a large number of blacks live. For example, more than 40 percent of black men in some South Providence neighborhoods are banned from voting.

The studies' findings added to the growing body of evidence that felon-disenfranchisement laws significantly impact African-Americans because the percentage of black men with felony convictions is much higher than their share of the general population.

Nine states, including Florida, permanently prohibit a felon from voting even after prison time, parole and probation requirements have been met. In Georgia and Rhode Island, felons can vote once they serve their prison time and complete their probation or parole terms. However, many are unaware that they are eligible to vote, while others don't want to be bothered by the process because they are focusing on food, clothing, and shelter issues.