Home : Voting Rights : Felon Enfranchisement

NEWS: Rhode Islanders Endorse Post-Prison Voting Rights
On Tuesday, November 7, Rhode Island voters approved Question 2 on the state ballot, a measure that removed the ban on voting by people with felony convictions on parole and probation. The referendum had been placed on the ballot by the state legislature, and received broad support in the state. Rhode Island now joins Massachusetts and New Hampshire in automatically restoring voting rights upon release from prison. For more information, see http://www.brennancenter.org/dynamic/subpages/download_file_38486.pdf.

ACLU and BlackElectorate.com Announce Partnership To Raise Awareness Of Felony Disfranchisement (03/04/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union and BlackElectorate.com's "Business and Building" Community are proud to announce the launch of their partnership to raise awareness of the devastating effects of felony disfranchisement on this country’s African-American community. The partnership fuses the strengths of each organization – the ACLU’s longtime involvement in states which set policy on this issue and BlackElectorate.com’s broad audience and close ties with African-American leaders – to give this issue greater visibility within the black community in this historic election year.

ACLU Files Lawsuit to Restore Right to Vote for Former Felons in Arizona (05/31/2007)
PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and the ACLU Voting Rights Project today filed a lawsuit seeking to restore the voting rights of Arizona citizens who have completed prison terms for felony convictions but are denied their civil rights because they owe money to the state or because they committed certain types of felonies.

Florida Clemency Reform Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be, Says ACLU (04/05/2007)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The American Civil Liberties Union expressed disappointment with today’s announcement by Governor Charlie Crist and the Board of Executive Clemency regarding Florida's new rules for restoration of civil and voting rights. Although this first step toward comprehensive reform represents incremental progress, said the ACLU, the new rules fall far short of fixing Florida’s civil and voting rights crisis.

ACLU of Florida Raises Concerns Over Flaws in Civil Rights Restoration Plan (04/02/2007)
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today applauded Governor Charlie Crist’s announcement that he and the cabinet (sitting as the Board of Executive Clemency) will address civil rights restoration for ex-offenders through clemency reform this week. However, the ACLU warned that any plan that has exclusions or requires restitution to be paid before civil rights can be restored would be unfair.

ACLU Hails General Assembly for Passing Maryland Voting Rights Restoration Bill (03/27/2007)
BALTIMORE - After many years of advocacy based on the fundamental principle of democracy, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland today hailed passage of legislation by both houses of the General Assembly to restore the right to vote to individuals who have paid their debt to society. Last week, the Senate voted 28-17 in favor of SB 488, and last night the House passed the legislation by a vote of 78-60. Now, the bill goes to the desk of Governor Martin O'Malley.

ACLU of Florida Says Gov. Bush's Task Force Overlooks Impact of Felon Disenfranchisement (04/26/2006)
MIAMI, FL - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said today that it applauds Governor Bush’s willingness to look at one of the problems created by disenfranchisement. At the same time, the organization noted that the root cause of ineffective reentry efforts for ex-offenders is the automatic stripping of the civil rights of ex-felons.

ACLU Study Finds Kentuckians are Being Denied the Right to Vote Because of Faulty Information (11/21/2005)
FRANKFORT, KY -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky today released a study showing that alarming numbers of county and state officials provide inaccurate information to people with criminal convictions seeking restoration of their voting rights.

ACLU Disappointed by Supreme Court’s Decision Not to Review Florida’s System of Lifetime Felon Disenfranchisement (11/14/2005)
MIAMI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today expressed disappointment over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to review a state law that bars citizens with felony convictions from voting, even after they have completed their term of prison, probation and parole.

ACLU Disappointed by Supreme Court’s Decision Not to Review Florida’s System of Lifetime Felon Disenfranchisement (11/14/2005)
MIAMI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today expressed disappointment over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to review a state law that bars citizens with felony convictions from voting, even after they have completed their term of prison, probation and parole.

6,000 Coloradoans Illegally Excluded from Voting, Says ACLU (11/03/2005)
DENVER -- While thousands of Colorado citizens cast their ballots on November 1, more than 6,000 Coloradoans were illegally excluded from the polls by a state statute enacted in the early 1990s, according to Mark Silverstein, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.

Rhode Island Clears Path to Restoring Felon Voting Rights (06/29/2005)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- In response to a strong lobbying effort by a coalition of civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Rhode Island legislature today approved legislation paving the way for a Constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to probationers and parolees.

ACLU of Florida Says Governor's Proposals to Reform Clemency Process for Former Felons Fall Short (11/24/2004)
MIAMI - Governor Jeb Bush's recent statement supporting changes in the clemency process for former felons falls short of seriously addressing problems with the state's arbitrary rights restoration procedures, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said today.

ACLU of Washington Lawsuit Challenges Voting Restrictions Based on Financial Debts (10/21/2004)
SEATTLE, WA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington today filed a lawsuit seeking to restore the voting rights of ex-felons in Washington who have served their prison terms but are denied the right to vote solely because they owe money to the state.

ACLU of Washington Lawsuit Challenges Voting Restrictions Based on Financial Debts (10/21/2004)
SEATTLE, WA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington today filed a lawsuit seeking to restore the voting rights of ex-felons in Washington who have served their prison terms but are denied the right to vote solely because they owe money to the state.

New Report Shows Millions of Eligible Voters May Be Turned Away on Election Day (10/19/2004)
NEW YORK--Millions of eligible voters may be prevented from casting their ballots on November 2nd due to non-existent or flawed procedures used by state election officials to purge felons from voter rolls, according to a new report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union and Demos, as part of the Right to Vote Campaign.

ACLU Applauds Court Decision Ordering Florida Department of Corrections to Assist Ex-Felons with Voting Rights Restoration (07/14/2004)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - In a unanimous decision today, the First District Court of Appeal in Florida agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and ordered the Department of Corrections to provide prisoners with application forms for the restoration of their civil rights, including the right to vote, and to assist prisoners in the preparation of the forms prior to their release from supervision.

In a Victory for Florida Voters, Court Gives Public Right to Access Voter Lists that May be Purged (07/01/2004)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - In a victory for Florida voters, a Leon circuit court judge today struck down a state law that prevents copying a state list with names of more than 47,000 registered voters who may be deleted from the voter rolls because the state has identified them as possible ex-felons.

Rutgers Law School and ACLU Challenge Denial of Voting Rights in Groundbreaking Lawsuit (01/06/2004)
NEWARK -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Constitutional Litigation Clinic at Rutgers Law School today filed a groundbreaking lawsuit challenging the denial of voting rights to persons on probation or parole in New Jersey.

Expected Judgment in Florida Voting Rights Lawsuit Will Restore Civil and Voting Rights to Thousands of Ex-Felons (07/24/2003)
MIAMI - Saying that as many as 30,000 ex-felons are likely to regain their voting and civil rights within the next year, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today released a proposed final judgment in a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections that mandates assistance to ex-felons who did not receive help in the application process from the state, as required by law.