![]() ![]() House of Representatives early last year as part of the broader voting rights, campaign finance, and ethics reform package, H.R. Supported by the ABA, the language of the DRA already passed the U.S. 481, would ensure that every state restores the right to vote in federal elections to men and women re-entering society after completion of their sentence. ![]() If enacted, the Democracy Restoration Act (DRA), introduced by Sen. Public opinion supports these principles as well: a recent national survey found that 56% of those polled supported a guaranteed right to vote despite a criminal conviction. While certain collateral sanctions may be appropriate for specific types of offenses, the ABA believes that fundamental rights should never be denied due to a criminal conviction, including access to the courts and voting. The American Bar Association (ABA) urges the repeal of any laws that disenfranchise persons based upon criminal conviction. Today, one in sixteen African Americans of voting age are unable to vote, which is more than three times the ratio for non-Black voters. This has continued to the present, in large part because of decades of incarceration policies implemented in response to the so-called war on drugs. DEMOCRACY 3 INTERNET CRIME CODEWhile most states enacted felony disenfranchisement laws prior to the Civil War, restrictive Black Code laws adopted after emancipation, which required African Americans to sign yearly labor contracts or risk arrest, fines, and forced labor without pay, subjected them to heightened levels of disenfranchisement. In Florida, more than 770,000 of the 1.4 million disenfranchised people who completed their sentences are currently unable to vote due to unpaid obligations like fees and fines. For example, in some states, conviction of certain misdemeanors will result in disenfranchisement. DEMOCRACY 3 INTERNET CRIME HOW TOState disenfranchisement laws and those covering how to restore the right to vote vary considerably and can be complicated. Over five million such Americans are unable to vote, 75% of whom have completed their prison or jail terms and are living in their communities. Despite how central voting is to civic life, Americans can lose the right to vote – permanently in some states – if they have been convicted of a crime. The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights and responsibilities enjoyed by American citizens. ![]()
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