The Sentencing Project: Disenfranchisement News & Updates - 5/10/07

Colorado: Governor, Secretary of State Oppose Parolee Voting Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat and former prosecutor, said he will veto the state's election law bill, SB 83, if supporters insist on putting parolee voting back in it. In late April, the House of Representatives rejected a provision that would have given individuals on parole the right to vote. Secretary of State Mike Coffman said the provision violated the state's constitution, according to the Denver Post. Texas: 'A Step in the Right Direction' The Daily Texan, a University of Texas at Austin student publication, published an opinion editorial in favor of restoring the voting rights of individuals charged with a non-violent offense. Texas restores voting rights after completion of sentence and parole or probation. The piece comes on the heels of proposed legislation, HB 770, to notify formerly incarcerated individuals of their voting status. The editorial stated that petty acts should be treated as such, and individuals would benefit more from treatment, and should not lose their voting rights as a result. "Thousands of acts carry felony charges, including stealing cable service and electrocuting fish," the editorial stated. "In Texas, there are 550,000 felons in prison and nearly 440,000 on probation. For many of them, the power of a ballot in their hand could far outweigh the seriousness of their crime." National: Disenfranchisement by the Numbers; Challenging Disenfranchisement The Wall Street Journal published an article noting the impact, particularly by numbers, of Florida's recent move to lift the voting ban for individuals convicted of non-violent felonies - about 80 percent of the state's disenfranchised citizens, according to state officials. In considering the upcoming presidential election and its outcome as a result of a potential increase in registered voters, Carl Bialik, the Journal's 'Numbers Guy,' wrote: "But all of these numbers - the counts of people affected, the percentage likely to vote and their projected party breakdown - are fraught with uncertainty, muddying political predictions." Florida's move to re-enfranchise may "inspire similar efforts in other states," Forbes.com reported. Forbes also stated that as a result of the increasing prison population, disenfranchisement is becoming a pressing issue. The University of Alabama Law Review recently published Challenges to Felony Disenfranchisement Laws: Past, Present and Future, which outlines the momentum disenfranchisement reform has gained over the years - especially since the 2000 presidential election. The article traces the origins of felony disenfranchisement laws to the Roman Empire, marks the history of equal protection challenges to felony disenfranchisement laws by making note of the Supreme Court case Richardson vs. Ramirez, and entertains what the future holds for these challenges.