This week on Radio Civil Liberties, According to a study conducted by the Sentencing Project, more than 40 percent of prisoners across the nation believe that they have been permanently disenfranchised as a result of their incarceration, and almost 60 percent of prisoners believe that being on probations makes them ineligible to vote. The majority of prisoners (63 percent), reported that no one had ever provided them with information regarding their voting eligibility.
Millions of Americans are barred from the polls because of a felony conviction. Voting is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of our democracy, yet millions of Americans have had their right to vote revoked for periods ranging from the time spent incarcerated to a lifetime. In 11 states, you can lose your right to vote for life. The NYCLU and the ACLU are fighting to restore the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people, so that they, like all Americans, will be heard.
