Skip to main content

The Sentencing Project -- Disenfranchisement: News/Updates

Submitted by dguard on
Tennessee: ACLU Challenges State's Disenfranchising "Poll Tax" Law Challenging the state's law that disenfranchises formerly incarcerated individuals who have outstanding legal financial obligations, restitution or child support fees, the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Tennessee filed a federal lawsuit this week. The ACLU charges the 2006 law is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause and is synonymous with a poll tax. "Reports show that, nationally, over 50 percent of criminal defendants are indigent at the time of sentencing. Therefore, requiring a person with a criminal conviction to pay a fee before restoring their right to vote is nothing more than a modern day poll tax," stated Nancy Abudu, staff counsel with the ACLU Voting Rights Project in a press release. "This law locks citizens out of the democratic process when it comes to issues of great concern to them. The result is that the political power of poor people is further diminished and the collateral consequences of poverty multiply." The suit was filed on behalf of Terence Johnson, Jim Harris and Alexander Friedman, three citizens who have completed their sentence including parole, and probation. Though Johnson and Harris have custody of their children, they owe child support, according to the ACLU. Friedman was denied restoration of his voting rights in 2006 because the state claimed he owed more than $1,000 in restitution. "My dream is to have the opportunity to become a fully productive citizen again, regardless of my economic status. And I have the right to participate in the electoral process to bring about change to the issues that concern me most in my community," Johnson was quoted as saying in a press release. "I've served my time, I am a taxpaying citizen and I have custody of my daughter. It is wrong for the state to punish me and other people while we get our lives back on track." For additional coverage, see the Nashville Post. - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information -- E-mail: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.