"
Unaccounted in the Census Bureau estimates are the 5.8 million adults
who are ineligible to vote due to a current or previous felony
conviction. All but two states (Maine and Vermont) take away the right
to vote for a period of time after a felony conviction. In 48 states,
prisoners are ineligible to vote, in 35 of these states persons also
cannot vote on probation and/or parole, and in 12 states citizens may
lose their voting rights even after they have completed their sentence.
"Racial disparities in the criminal justice system translate into much
higher rates of disenfranchisement for African Americans relative to
other groups. Factoring these uncounted lost voters in to the black
population produces a turnout figure up to 72 percent of the eligible
adult population. The high disenfranchisement rate of black males in
particular helps to explain as well the nearly nine point gender gap in
black voting, considerably higher than for other groups." [Read more]
