About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

28 J. C.R. & Econ. Dev. 107 (2015-2016)
Felony Disenfranchisement in Florida: Past, Present and Future

handle is hein.journals/sjjlc28 and id is 119 raw text is: FELONY DISENFRANCHISEMENT IN FLORIDA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE ALLISON J. RIGGS, ESQ.I Laws that restrict individuals with felony convictions from voting are widespread in the United States, but those laws themselves vary widely from state to state. Only Maine and Vermont allow people who are incarcerated for a felony to vote. Other states further prohibit individuals on parole or probation relating to a felony conviction from casting a ballot. The most stringent laws, that prohibit not only persons on probation and parole from voting, but also those who have satisfied their entire sentence, are found only in election states, including Florida.2 Because of disparities in the criminal justice system, African Americans, and other people of color are disproportionately more likely to be kept from voting because of felony disenfranchisement laws. Indeed, in Florida, 23 percent of voting-age African Americans is disenfranchised because of prior felony convictions.3 Under Florida law, regaining the right to vote following a felony conviction is exceptionally difficult. This article examines the fluctuating rules governing restoration of the right to vote in Florida, including legal challenges to those rules. This article concludes by discussing potential legal, policy, and advocacy routes for ameliorating the enormous burden that these rules place on people of color seeking to participate in the political process. I. EVOLVING FELONY DISENFRANCHISEMENT RULES IN FLORIDA The United States is unique amongst developed nations in its sanctioning of stringent felony disenfranchisement.4 Florida is unique amongst the 1 Ms. Riggs received her J.D. in 2009 from the University of Florida. She is currently a Senior Attorney at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in Durham, North Carolina, where she specializes in voting rights. 2 Marla McDaniel et al., Imprisonment and Disenfranchisement of Disconnected Low-Income Men, URBAN INSTITUTE, 4 (August 2013), available at http://www.urban.org(UploadedPDF/412986- Imprisonment-and-Disenfranchisement-of-Disconnected-Low-Income-Men.pdf 3 Id. at 5-6. 4 The Canadian Supreme Court held that criminal disenfranchisement laws are unconstitutional. 107

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most