VOTER SUPPRESSION AND DISENFRANCHISEMENT

1
VOTER SUPPRESSION AND DISENFRANCH ISEMENT

• Barbara Bloom
• Criminal Justice Administration
• Sonoma State University

2
Voter Suppression

• Race-Based Targeting
• Voter Intimidation
• Purging Voters from the Voting Rolls
• Felony Disenfranchisement

3
The Long Shadow of Jim Crow

• Voter intimidation and suppression efforts have
  not been limited to a single party but have in
  fact shifted over time as voting allegiances have
  shifted.
• In recent decades, African American voters have
  largely been loyal to the Democratic Party,
  resulting in the prevalence of Republican efforts
  to suppress minority turnout.

4
Felony Disenfranchisement

• Convicted felons lose the right to vote
• Exclusion of felons from the body politic was
  derived from the concept of civil death
• In 13 states a felony conviction can result in
  disenfranchisement, generally for life
• An estimated 4.7 million Americans, or one in
  forty-three adults, have lost the right to vote
  as a result of a felony conviction

5
States Who Disenfranchise Ex-Offenders Permanently

• Seven states deny the right to vote to all
  ex-offenders who have completed their sentences
• Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi,
  Nebraska, and Virginia

6
Racial Disparity and Disenfranchisement

• Given the racial disparities in the criminal
  justice system, an estimated 1.4 million or 13
  of African American men are disenfranchised a
  rate of seven times the national average.
• In states with the most restrictive laws, it is
  estimated that 30-40 of the next generation of
  African American males will lose their right to
  vote if current trends continue.

7
Women and Felony Disenfranchisement

• More than half a million women have lost their
  right to vote.
• An estimated 676,730 women are currently
  ineligible to vote as a result of a felony
  conviction.
• Approximately 245,000 African American women
  cannot vote.

8
Disenfranchised Veterans

• An estimated 585,355 veterans are unable to vote
  as a result of a felony conviction.
• Approximately one of every eight disenfranchised
  persons is a veteran.

9
Election Day 2000

• Florida An estimated 600,000 persons who had
  completed their felony sentences were unable to
  vote. The election was decided by 537 votes.

10
Election Day 2004

• The Election Protection Coalition was formed to
  identify and stop attempts to disenfranchise
  voters, especially in predominantly African
  American and Latino precincts across the country.
• The Coalition is urging people to call their
  hotline, 1-866-OUR VOTE, if they are aware of
  efforts to discourage or prevent people from
  voting.