felon disenfranchisement
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Federal Appeals Court Packed With Trump Appointees Rules That Former Felons in Florida Have to Pay Fees to Vote
A groundbreaking constitutional amendment that restored voting rights to about 775,000 people with former felonies in Florida has been devastatingly undercut by the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which ruled on Friday that the would-be voters must pay all fines and fees they may owe to the state if they want to go to…
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Supreme Court Strikes Major Blow to Voting Rights, Won’t Change Florida Voting Rules for Felons
In 2018, Florida voters made a momentous decision: restoring the right to vote for those convicted of a felony, so long as they’ve fulfilled their prison time, parole or probation. But since then, the state of Florida has introduced what has been deemed as a modern-day voting tax for released felons, mandating that they pay…
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Texas Upholds Draconian Conviction for Woman Who Cast an 'Illegal Vote' in 2016: 'It's a Tragedy'
Crystal Mason, sentenced to five years in prison for casting an illegal ballot, had her appeal denied by a Texas judge last week. As the Texas Tribune reports, on Thursday, a three-judge appellate panel affirmed Mason’s conviction for casting an illegal ballot in the 2016 presidential election. Mason, who was on probation for a federal…
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New Ordinance in Oakland Prohibits Landlords From Checking Renters’ Criminal Records
Unfortunately, we live in a world full of people who often believe far more in accountability and punishment than they do in redemption and second chances. Citizens make mistakes, get locked up, serve their time and pay their debt, only to be released into a society where they still don’t feel like citizens anymore. It’s…
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Top Civil Rights Groups Will Help Crystal Mason Appeal Her 5-Year Sentence for Trying to Vote
It was a case so unfair, it quickly became a go-to talking point to illuminate the criminal justice system’s deep racial inequities: Crystal Mason, a 44-year-old Texas woman was sentenced to five years in jail for unknowingly casting an illegal ballot. Last Friday, two major civil rights groups, the American Civil Liberties Union and the…
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Texas Woman Gets 5 Years in Prison for Casting an Illegal Ballot in 2016 Election
A Texas woman on supervised release from a tax-fraud conviction will lose her freedom once again—this time for casting an illegal ballot in the 2016 election. A judge handed 43-year-old Crystal Mason a five-year sentence on Wednesday for casting a ballot before completing the full term of her sentence, including the supervised release, for a…