Bruce Cain and Brett Parker have posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Missouri Law Review). Here is the abstract: Felons represent a large majority of disenfranchised adult Americans, with a significant proportion remaining unable to vote even after completing the… Continue reading

The 11th Circuit has denied rehearing en banc in a case concerning whether the Florida legislature’s attempt to make felons pay all fines and fees before having their voting rights restored under Florida’s Amendment 4 is unconstitutional. The ruling so… Continue reading

You can find the 78-page opinion at this link. It begins: On November 6, 2018, Florida voters approved Amendment 4, a state constitutional amendment that automatically restored voting rights to ex-felon who had completed all of the terms of… Continue reading

WSJ: More than a year after Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to an estimated 1.4 million people with felony convictions, widespread confusion surrounds its implementation.A law aimed at carrying out the amendment has sparked legal battles… Continue reading

Miami Herald: Three federal judges hearing a legal challenge to a Florida measure allowing felons to vote asked tough questions of the attorney for Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday, repeatedly asking about the fairness of a subsequent bill that levied… Continue reading

Miami Herald: In a setback to supporters of Amendment 4, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday issued an opinion that the amendment’s definition of “all terms of sentence” included the payment of any financial obligations imposed during a felon’s sentence.“We… Continue reading

Star Tribune: Minnesota is one of 18 states where felons may not vote until they complete post-incarceration supervision, such as probation or parole. Others, like Michigan and Indiana, automatically restore those rights upon release from prison….Last fall, the American… Continue reading

AP: Iowa election officials have stopped using a long-flawed database of felons who are ineligible to vote as they rebuild it from scratch. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office removed the database, which contained more than 100,000 entries,… Continue reading

The Guardian profiles five people affected by Amendment 4.

The Guardian: Bratcher faces up to 19 months in prison because she did not realize she had actually been stripped of the right to vote. Her lawyer says she’s being punished based on a Jim Crow-era law that was intended… Continue reading