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Alabama SOS Defends Against Argument that State Felon Disenfranchisement Bill Doesn’t Go Far Enough

Posted on May 24, 2017 12:17 pm by Rick Hasen

Kira Lerner for Think Progress: The law still imposes what can be considered a poll tax because former felons have to be able to afford to pay their fines and fees to restore their right to vote. “Wealth should not … Continue reading →

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“Alabama Legislature approves bill that would restore ‘many’ felons’ voting rights”

Posted on May 19, 2017 4:11 pm by Rick Hasen

Good news from Alabama. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Va. Gov. McAuliffe says he has broken U.S. record for restoring voting rights”

Posted on April 28, 2017 1:21 pm by Rick Hasen

WaPo: Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Thursday that he had broken the record for restoring voting rights to convicted felons, calling it his “proudest achievement” as governor. McAuliffe (D) said he had individually restored rights to 156,221 Virginians, surpassing the previous … Continue reading →

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“Floridians can help put a stop to denying ex-felons the right to vote”

Posted on March 27, 2017 1:12 pm by Rick Hasen

Frank Askin Miami-Herald oped: Can Florida claim to be a democracy when one out of every 10 of adult citizens in the state are denied the right to vote because some time in their lives they were convicted of a … Continue reading →

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“The Voting Rights of Ex-Felons and Election Outcomes in the United States”

Posted on March 16, 2017 1:45 pm by Rick Hasen

Tilman Klumpp, Hugo Mialon, and Michael Williams have posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Approximately one in forty adult U.S. citizens has lost their right to vote, either temporarily or permanently, as a result of a felony … Continue reading →

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Posted in campaigns, felon voting

“Lawsuit to Restore Former Felons’ Voting Rights in Florida”

Posted on March 13, 2017 2:38 pm by Rick Hasen

Release: On Monday, March 13 the Fair Elections Legal Network and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC filed a class action lawsuit that seeks to automatically restore former felons’ voting rights and eliminate Florida’s arbitrary process for re-enfranchisement. The plaintiffs … Continue reading →

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“Bondi’s silence is golden to backers of voting rights amendment”

Posted on March 6, 2017 2:15 pm by Rick Hasen

Miami Herald: Attorney General Pam Bondi had nothing to say to the Florida Supreme Court Monday, and for people working to restore the right to vote to convicted felons, that was welcome news. The court must decide whether a ballot … Continue reading →

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Rick Scott and Pam Biondi Expected to Oppose FL Initiative Measure Easing Felon Disenfranchisement Laws

Posted on March 5, 2017 8:14 pm by Rick Hasen

If the Florida Supreme Court allows this measure to go on the ballot, it would be a huge deal in Florida. WSJ: Mr. Meade plans to be in the courtroom Monday when the Florida Supreme Court reviews a proposed constitutional … Continue reading →

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“A Pragmatic Approach to Challenging Felon Disenfranchisement Laws”

Posted on January 17, 2017 7:21 am by Rick Hasen

New ACS Issue Brief by Avner Shapiro. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

Read Plaintiffs’ Opposition to Motion to Dismiss in Alabama Felon Disenfranchisement Case

Posted on January 15, 2017 8:02 am by Rick Hasen

The case is Thompson v. Alabama and the brief is here. Keep your eye on this suit. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“New Report Tracks History & Impact of Florida’s Strict Criminal Disenfranchisement Law”

Posted on December 16, 2016 7:12 am by Rick Hasen

Release: Florida’s lifetime ban on voting for people with past felony convictions is one of the harshest laws in the nation and its severe moral, racial, and economic consequences demand it be replaced, according to a new report released today … Continue reading →

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NC: “Republicans claim 43 voters are ineligible felons. Many of them aren’t”

Posted on November 24, 2016 10:57 am by Rick Hasen

News and Observer: Larry Smith got an odd phone call last week: Someone had filed to throw out his vote, claiming he was a felon serving an active sentence. Smith, who lives in Stokes County, is no felon. But he … Continue reading →

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Posted in election administration, felon voting, fraudulent fraud squad, The Voting Wars

“Disenfranchisement and Over-Incarceration”

Posted on November 4, 2016 4:25 pm by Rick Hasen

Murat Mungan has posted this draft on SSRN.  Here is the abstract: Disenfranchisement laws in many states prohibit convicted felons from voting. The removal of ex-convicts from the pool of eligible voters reduces the pressure politicians may otherwise face to … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“How one Floridian — and 1.7 million others — lost the right to vote”

Posted on November 4, 2016 7:56 am by Rick Hasen

Must-read on Florida’s long path to restoration of voting rights for felons who have turned their lives around. More than 10,000 applications wait to be heard by the Florida Board of Executive Clemency. The backlog seems by design. The board, … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Suit Accuses Alabama of Bias in Law That Bars Some Felons From Voting”

Posted on September 27, 2016 3:34 pm by Rick Hasen

NYT reports. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“New Lawsuit Challenges Constitutionality of Alabama’s Felony Disenfranchisement Law”

Posted on September 26, 2016 12:02 pm by Rick Hasen

Release: The Campaign Legal Center, the Voting Rights Institute, and the law firm of Jenner & Block, alongside a star-studded team of civil rights lawyers, today filed a lawsuit in Alabama district court on behalf of U.S. citizens with past … Continue reading →

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First Circuit, Relying on Evenwel, Rejects “Prison Gerrymandering” Claim

Posted on September 21, 2016 3:47 pm by Rick Hasen

You can find the unanimous 1st Circuit opinion at this link. Here is a statement from Demos.  From the opinion: It is true that Evenwel did not decide the precise question before us. Nevertheless, we hold that its methodology and logic compel us … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting, redistricting

“BREAKING: Virginia Supreme Court slaps down Republicans’ attempt to block ex-felons from voting”

Posted on September 15, 2016 12:58 pm by Rick Hasen

Think Progress: The Virginia Supreme Court rejected a petition from Republican leaders on Thursday that sought to hold Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) in contemptfor restoring the voting rights of tens of thousands of ex-offenders ahead of the 2016 election. … Continue reading →

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“Virginia Republicans’ essentially racist project”

Posted on September 7, 2016 7:31 am by Rick Hasen

Washington Post editorial: In just four states are felons permanently barred from voting absent action by the governor. And in one of them, Virginia, lawmakers are considering an even more restrictive regime that would forever foreclose the possibility of redemption … Continue reading →

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“Republican leader of Va. Senate advances felon voting plan of his own”

Posted on September 1, 2016 7:25 pm by Rick Hasen

WaPo: A Republican state senator who sued Gov. Terry McAuliffe over the governor’s efforts to restore voting rights to felons filed legislation Thursday to automatically grant political rights to certain nonviolent criminals. Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James … Continue reading →

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“Republicans file contempt motion against McAuliffe over felon rights restoration”

Posted on August 31, 2016 7:31 pm by Rick Hasen

Richmond Times-Dispatch: GOP leaders announced Wednesday that they want the Supreme Court of Virginia to consider holding McAuliffe in contempt for his efforts to restore felons’ political rights en masse despite the court’s July 22 opinion that struck down the … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting, The Voting Wars

“Virginia Restores Right to Vote to Thousands of Ex-Felons”

Posted on August 22, 2016 4:02 pm by Rick Hasen

Zack Roth for NBC News. … Continue reading →

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“Virginia’s McAuliffe to announce restoration of voting rights to 13,000 felons”

Posted on August 21, 2016 1:12 pm by Rick Hasen

AP: At noon Monday, it said, he will appear at the Civil Rights Memorial on Capitol Square “to make major restoration of rights announcement.” A McAuliffe spokeswoman, Christina Nuckols, declined to provide more information. McAuliffe will announce that he has … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“McAuliffe taking a slower approach to rights restoration in Virginia”

Posted on August 8, 2016 8:14 pm by Rick Hasen

WaPo: Armed with an autopen, Gov. Terry McAuliffe said two weeks ago that he had all he needed to swiftly but individually restore voting rights to more than 200,000 felons. But McAuliffe (D) has since decided that he needs something … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

For a Virginia Governor, Writer’s Cramp and Advil

Posted on July 23, 2016 10:44 am by Rick Hasen

Richmond Times-Disptach: In response, McAuliffe said he will “expeditiously” sign roughly 13,000 individual rights restoration orders for people who have already registered to vote. He said he’ll continue until rights are restored for all 200,000 people affected by the original … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

Breaking: VA Supreme Court on 4-3 Vote, Reverses Gov. McAuliffe’s Blanket Felon Reenfranchisement Order

Posted on July 22, 2016 2:59 pm by Rick Hasen

You can find the 63 pages of opinions here. This is a big blow both politically to Democrats (who would have gotten a boost from the restoration of voting rights to felons who had secured their sentences) as well as … Continue reading →

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Posted in election administration, felon voting, The Voting Wars

“Virginia Needs to Fix Its Racist Voting Law”

Posted on July 19, 2016 11:58 am by Rick Hasen

Dale Ho NYT oped: THE Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in a lawsuit that aims to strip the right to vote from more than 206,000 people, including one in five African-American adults in the state. If state … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting, The Voting Wars

“Virginia high court considers whether McAuliffe erred in restoring felons’ voting rights”

Posted on July 19, 2016 9:13 am by Rick Hasen

WaPo: It was not clear which way the seven justices would rule. Much of the arguments were spent focused on whether the GOP legislative leaders and voters could even challenge the restoration of voter rights in court. … Continue reading →

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“These Virginians Just Got Their Voting Rights Back. Republicans Are Trying To Take Them Away Again.”

Posted on July 19, 2016 8:43 am by Rick Hasen

Think Progress: But Virginia Republicans are taking the state to court on July 19 to try to roll back these changes, and restore the Reformation-era felon disenfranchisement law. The conservative officials are arguing not only that the governor’s order violates … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting, The Voting Wars

“The Wrong Way to Count Prisoners”

Posted on July 16, 2016 10:27 am by Rick Hasen

NYT editorial: Voting rights advocates have been pressing the Census Bureau for more than a decade to stop counting prison inmates as “residents” of prisons — where they typically remain for only a short time — instead of the communities … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting, redistricting

Louisiana Parolees and Probationers Seek Restoration of Voting Rights

Posted on July 2, 2016 6:03 am by Dan Tokaji

Nola.com and Buzzfeed report on the state constitutional class action, which allegedly affects 70,000 people … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

Iowa Supreme Court Upholds Felon Voting Ban

Posted on June 30, 2016 7:02 am by Dan Tokaji

Des Moines Register reports.  The 4-3 state constitutional decision is here. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Re-Enfranchising People with Prior Convictions”

Posted on June 27, 2016 5:28 pm by Dan Tokaji

Goldfeder and Perez offer their view in NYLJ. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Records Reveal Little Advance Word to Officials on Voting-Rights Move”

Posted on June 26, 2016 7:07 am by Dan Tokaji

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports on what documents from its state FOIA request reveal about the lead-up to Governor McAuliffe’s restoration of felons’ voting rights. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Why Prisoners Deserve the Right to Vote”

Posted on June 21, 2016 4:09 pm by Rick Hasen

Corey Brettschneider for Politico magazine. o some, the idea may seem risky, unnecessary or even unconscionable. But in fact, there are good reasons to embrace it. For one, our constitutional ideals support the right of prisoners to vote, and denying … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Nearly half of Nebraska county election officials may be denying voting right”

Posted on June 21, 2016 3:34 pm by Rick Hasen

Lincoln Journal-Star: Only about half of Nebraska’s 93 counties accurately provide voting rights for ex-felons, according to a survey by the ACLU of Nebraska. Nearly half of the county election officials contacted by ACLU researchers provided inaccurate information related to … Continue reading →

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Posted in election administration, felon voting

“Judicial Watch Sues Virginia Gov. McAuliffe Over Executive Order Granting 206,000 Felons Voting Rights”

Posted on June 15, 2016 9:01 am by Rick Hasen

Release. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting, The Voting Wars

“Voting rights restoration case to go before Virginia Supreme Court”

Posted on June 13, 2016 8:30 pm by Rick Hasen

Hearing on July 19. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Virginia at Center of Racially Charged Fight Over the Right of Felons to Vote”

Posted on June 6, 2016 7:56 am by Rick Hasen

NYT: This next fight over restoring voting rights to convicted felons — an issue playing out nationally — could affect the presidential contest and Mrs. Clinton’s fortunes in Virginia, a critical swing state. Ever since Mr. McAuliffe’s order on April … Continue reading →

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“Supreme Court calls special session to hear GOP challenge on felon voting rights”

Posted on June 2, 2016 6:44 am by Rick Hasen

Richmond Times-Dispatch: The Supreme Court of Virginia will hold a special session July 19 to take up the Republican challenge to Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s order that restored voting rights for more than 200,000 felons. Republican leaders in the General Assembly … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“The Revival of the Three-Fifths Clause in a Rhode Island Prison Gerrymandering Case”

Posted on May 24, 2016 1:33 pm by Rick Hasen

Derek the Muller: A federal district court handed down a memorandum and order for summary judgment in Davidson v. City of Cranston, a case concerning “prison gerrymandering” in Rhode Island. The court concluded that the city improperly drew districts that … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting, redistricting

Prison Gerrymandering Case Succeeds in Cranston, Rhode Island

Posted on May 24, 2016 11:41 am by Rick Hasen

District court opinion. Update: See this press release from Prisoners of the Census. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Why the Virginia GOP Can’t Thwart McAuliffe on Voting Rights”

Posted on May 24, 2016 7:06 am by Rick Hasen

Andrew Cohen for the Marshall Project: Those who object to the restoration of these voting rights, Howard told us, are conflating Gov. McAuliffe’s duty to individually communicate his reasons for a pardon with his more expansive authority to restore voting … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Assembly Republicans sue McAuliffe over mass rights restoration order”

Posted on May 23, 2016 7:51 am by Rick Hasen

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly will file suit later today in the Supreme Court of Virginia challenging Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s authority to order a mass restoration of rights April 22, covering more than 200,000 former felons. The … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“News Analysis: Rights restoration on the rise; Restoration of voting rights for ex-felons grows, gets easier”

Posted on May 12, 2016 1:31 pm by Rick Hasen

That’s the lead story in this week’s Electionline Weekly. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“A Second Chance and the Right to Vote”

Posted on May 8, 2016 8:00 pm by Rick Hasen

NYT editorial: Republican legislators in Virginia are threatening to sue Gov. Terry McAuliffe to block his executive order restoring voting rights to more than 200,000 residents who have completed their felony sentences. The lawmakers have no good legal case, and … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Virginia Republicans Weigh Court Challenge to Voting Rights for Felons”

Posted on May 2, 2016 7:53 pm by Rick Hasen

NYT: Carl W. Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, said he believed Mr. McAuliffe had the constitutional authority to restore the felons’ voting rights, but a lawsuit could impede voter registration ahead of the … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Va. Republicans hire lawyer in bid to stop restoration of felons’ voting rights”

Posted on May 2, 2016 8:24 am by Rick Hasen

WaPo: Virginia Republicans have hired a high-powered Washington lawyer to challenge Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s authority to give more than 200,000 ex-convicts the right to vote in the fall presidential election and beyond. GOP legislative leaders announced Monday that they have … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“Should Felons Ever Be Allowed to Vote?”

Posted on April 25, 2016 9:21 am by Rick Hasen

NYT Room for Debate. … Continue reading →

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Posted in felon voting

“The Voting Effect of Virginia’s Move on Felons? Small but Potentially Decisive”

Posted on April 23, 2016 1:40 pm by Rick Hasen

Nate Cohn for NYT’s the UpShot. … Continue reading →

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