This map summarizes current state laws on criminal disenfranchisement. Voter suppression. Big money in politics. Democracy is under attack. This year, the House of Representatives approved the For the People Act, which includes innovative solutions the Brennan Center developed on voting, ethics, campaign finance, and fair election maps.
Explore Issues. State Reform. Expert Brief Thwarting Amendment 4 May 9, May 4, September 23, Wendy R. Weiser, Daniel I. Weiner, Emil Mella Pablo. November 3, June 23, The revocation of voting rights for people with felony convictions compounds isolation from communities, even though civic participation has been linked with lower recidivism rates.
Voting and subsequent crime and arrest: Evidence from a community sample. Columbia Human Rights Law Review, 36 1 , The dramatic growth of the U. Nationwide, these policies disenfranchised an estimated 5. Disenfranchisement policies vary widely by state, ranging from no restrictions on voting to a lifetime ban upon conviction. Voting rights restrictions have potentially affected the outcomes of U. Nationwide, as of one in every 16 Black adults could not vote as the result of a felony conviction, and in seven states more than one in seven Black adults was disenfranchised.
Felony disenfranchisement laws remain a serious structural barrier to racial justice in this country. Denying the right to vote to an entire class of citizens is deeply problematic, undemocratic, and counterproductive to effective reentry. Fortunately, many states are reconsidering their archaic disenfranchisement policies, with half of states and the District of Columbia enacting reforms since But there is still much to be done before the United States will resemble comparable nations in allowing, honoring and promoting the full democratic participation of its citizens.
As of , 5. Voting rights vary by state, which institute a wide range of disenfranchisement policies. Table 1. Vermont Colorado Arkansas Arizona 3 Arizona — Permanently disenfranchises persons with two or more felony convictions. In , removed the requirement to pay outstanding fines before rights are automatically restored for first time felony offenses only.
District of Columbia Connecticut Georgia Delaware 4 Delaware — In , removed the five-year waiting period to regain voting eligibility. Apart from some disqualifying offenses, people convicted of a felony are now eligible to vote upon completion of sentence and supervision. Puerto Rico Hawaii Idaho Florida 5 Florida — In , voters passed an amendment to restore voting rights to most people after sentence completion. In , legislation was passed that made restoration conditional on payment of all restitution, fees, and fines.
As of October, , only the rights of those who had paid all legal financial obligations fines and fees had been restored.
Illinois Kansas Iowa 6 Iowa — In , Governor Reynolds signed an executive order restoring voting rights to people who have completed their sentences, except for those convicted of homicide. This follows previous executive orders from Governor Vilsack restoring voting rights to individuals who had completed their sentences in and Governor Branstad reversing this executive order in Indiana Louisiana 7 Louisiana — In , authorized voting for residents under an order of imprisonment for a felony who have not been incarcerated for five years, including those on probation and parole.
Kentucky 8 Kentucky — In , Governor A. Beshear issued an executive order restoring voting rights to those who had completed sentences for nonviolent offenses. This follows a similar executive order by Governor S. Beshear, which had been rescinded by Governor Bevin later that year. Maryland Minnesota Mississippi 9 Mississippi — Permanently disenfranchises individuals convicted of certain offenses.
Massachusetts Missouri Nebraska 10 Nebraska — In , Reduced its indefinite ban on post-sentence voting to a two-year waiting period. Michigan New Mexico Tennessee 11 Tennessee — Disenfranchises those convicted of certain felonies since , in addition to those convicted of select crimes prior to Others must apply to the Board of Probation and Parole for restoration. Montana North Carolina Virginia 12 Virginia — In , Governor Northam reported that his administration has restored voting rights to 22, Virginians previously convicted of felonies.
Governor McAuliffe had earlier restored rights to , Nevada Oklahoma Wyoming 13 Wyoming — In , restored voting rights after five years to people who complete sentences for first-time, non-violent felony convictions. The change will take effect on January 1, Washington House Bill Download PDF. Related Posts publications. Nicole D. The Pennsylvania General Assembly is considering ending lifetime parole supervision.
Nazgol Ghandnoosh, Ph. Arizona 3 Arizona — Permanently disenfranchises persons with two or more felony convictions. Delaware 4 Delaware — In , removed the five-year waiting period to regain voting eligibility. Florida 5 Florida — In , voters passed an amendment to restore voting rights to most people after sentence completion. Iowa 6 Iowa — In , Governor Reynolds signed an executive order restoring voting rights to people who have completed their sentences, except for those convicted of homicide.
Louisiana 7 Louisiana — In , authorized voting for residents under an order of imprisonment for a felony who have not been incarcerated for five years, including those on probation and parole. Mississippi 9 Mississippi — Permanently disenfranchises individuals convicted of certain offenses. Nebraska 10 Nebraska — In , Reduced its indefinite ban on post-sentence voting to a two-year waiting period.
Tennessee 11 Tennessee — Disenfranchises those convicted of certain felonies since , in addition to those convicted of select crimes prior to Virginia 12 Virginia — In , Governor Northam reported that his administration has restored voting rights to 22, Virginians previously convicted of felonies. Wyoming 13 Wyoming — In , restored voting rights after five years to people who complete sentences for first-time, non-violent felony convictions.
Washington 14 In , Washington passed legislation to restore voting rights to people on probation and parole. Streamlined restoration for most persons upon completion of sentence ; codified list of felony offenses that result in disenfranchisement Removed requirement to pay outstanding fines before rights are automatically restored for people convicted of first-time felony offenses after completion of court-imposed sentence Restored voting rights to people convicted of a felony offense housed in jail, but not in prison ; Restored voting rights for people on parole Restored voting rights to persons on probation ; repealed requirement to present proof of restoration in order to register after completing a prison term or parole ; restored voting rights to people on parole Repealed lifetime disenfranchisement, replaced with five-year waiting period for persons convicted of most offenses ; repealed five-year waiting period for most offenses ; Eliminated requirement that people pay all legal financial obligations after completion of their sentence to regain voting rights Simplified clemency process , ; adopted requirement for county jail officials to assist with restoration ; reversed modification in clemency process ; Restored voting rights to most residents after sentence completion ; Passed legislation requiring persons to pay all legal financial obligations after completion of court-imposed prison, probation, or parole sentence to have voting rights restored In Governor Tom Vilsack restored voting rights to individuals with former felony convictions via executive order.
Governor Terry Branstad reversed this executive order in Governor Steve Beshear restored voting rights to individuals with former non-violent felony convictions via executive order in Governor Matt Bevin reversed this executive order shortly after taking office in If an individual has been convicted of one of these, he or she can still receive a pardon from the governor to restore voting rights Miss.
Code Ann. In felony cases, there is a two-year waiting period after completion of probation for the restoration of voting rights Neb. The Tennessee Constitution denies the right to vote persons convicted of an infamous crime Tenn. Those convicted of infamous crimes may petition for restoration upon completion of the sentence or be pardoned by the governor T.
Proof of restoration is needed in order to register to vote T. No person who has been convicted of a felony shall be qualified to vote unless his civil rights have been restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority VA Const. The Department of Corrections is required to provide persons convicted of felonies with information regarding voting rights restoration, and assist with the process established by the governor for the review of applications VA Code Ann.
Individuals with felony convictions may petition the courts in an attempt to restore their voting rights VA Code Ann. In , Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe announced an executive order automatically restoring voting rights to convicted felons who have completed their prison sentence and their term of supervised release parole or probation as of April 22, The Virginia Supreme Court subsequently ruled that rights restoration needs to take place on an individual basis, rather than en masse.
A person convicted of a felony is not a qualified elector unless his rights are restored W.
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