Felons Archives | American Democracy Minute

Virginia’s Governor Ended Automatic Voting Rights Restoration for 12,000 Returning Felons this Year. A State Error Almost Disenfranchised 3,400 More.

November 5, 2023November 13, 2023

News broke recently that the State of Virginia mistakenly revoked voting rights for 270 formerly incarcerated felons whose rights had previously been restored. An investigation shows that number has ballooned to 3,400 Virginians.

Federal Court Strikes Down Mississippi Constitutional Provision With Racist History Keeping 11% of Its Population from Voting

August 20, 2023December 30, 2023

Mississippi has the highest percentage of voting-age citizens who are not able to vote due to past felony convictions. In early August, a federal court struck down the responsible Jim Crow provision in Mississippi’s constitution, citing “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Minnesota Restores Voting Rights to as Many as 55,000 Formerly Incarcerated Felons

March 7, 2023March 7, 2023

Because there are so many efforts around the country to restrict the vote, our reports are often negative. Today we have a good news story from Minnesota, where as many as 55,000 more citizens can now vote.

Florida Group Leading Effort to Restore Voting Rights to Formerly-Incarcerated Felons is Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023

In 2018, Florida voters passed Article 4, an initiative which restored voting rights to 1.6 million felons who had completed their sentence and parole. In the face of continued efforts by Florida’s Governor & legislature to block those rights, the Florida organization which led the initiative has been nominated for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.