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Half million Texans disenfranchised from voting in primary elections: Harms democracy and public safety

By Gritsforbreakfast

The extraordinary turnout at Tuesday's elections and the spectacle of 1.1 million Democrats participating in their precinct conventions left the state abuzz, but over at Talk Left, Jeralyn rightly reminds us to remember those who weren't allowed to cast a ballot. She points to a new public awareness project on felon disenfranchisement, i.e., taking away felons' right to vote, and reminds us how many disenfranchised felons were disallowed from participating in Texas' primary elections:Over half a million Texan citizens will be unable to vote due to a felony conviction. Over 165,000 of those disfranchised Texans are black,? said Laleh Ispahani, Senior Policy Counsel with the ACLU Racial Justice Program. ?Disfranchisement runs contrary to fundamental precepts of democracy, human rights, and of giving people a second chance, a chance at true rehabilitation...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on March 06, 2008 (boomark / email).