Should Felons and Ex-felons Have the Right to Vote?
JANUARY 2006
Should Felons and Ex-felons Have the Right to Vote?
Maine and Vermont are the only states that permit inmates to vote, while 36 states prohibit felons from doing so while they are on parole. How does the public view disenfranchisement laws, and what, if any, are the laws’ political effects? Various studies have recently been conducted.
Featured Resources
Berinsky concludes, contrary to popular opinion, that electoral reforms that ease restrictions on casting ballots in fact increase socioeconomic biases in the composition of the voting public. He advocates shifting the focus of electoral reform from institutional changes to political engagement
Research Projects
Election Law @ Moritz, run through Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University, contains both explanation and commentary on a wealth of election reform issues from a legal perspective.
Electionline.org provides daily news updates on election reform issues, as well as deeper analysis of selected topics, including recent reports on voter registration, recount procedures, and the progress in implementing the Help America Vote Act since 2002.
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
www.aei.org
The Brookings Institution
www.brookings.edu
© Copyright 2006, AEI
and The Brookings Institution