felony disenfranchisement
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In Virginia and Florida, People With Felonies Seek to Gain Influence In 2020 Elections
When Carol Bradley-Cousins got her voting rights restored in 2015, she had already paid nearly $15,000 in fines to the Commonwealth of Virginia and was denied twice before succeeding on her third try. Since then, she has voted in every election, with 2016 being the first in which she cast a ballot. “It was like…
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Is This the New Poll Tax? Florida House Passes Bill Requiring Former Felons to Pay Up Before They Can Vote
In November, people in the state of Florida voted “yes” on Amendment 4—an initiative that would restore voting rights to more than one million former felons. The amendment would restore the rights of those with felony convictions who had completed their sentences—including prison terms, parole and probation. The only exclusion was those who had been…
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Black Woman Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Casting Illegal Ballot Will Not Get New Trial
A Texas woman and ex-offender who received a harsh five-year jail sentence for voting illegally will not get a new trial, a judge decided Monday. According to the New York Times, Judge Ruben Gonzalez, the same judge who sentenced 43-year-old Crystal Mason to the lengthy jail term, turned down her bid for a retrial. In…