Voting Rights Restoration for Felons: What You Need to Know

The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. More than 2.3 million Americans are now incarcerated – and 37% of them are Black. In total, 13% of all Black Americans are incarcerated and 1 in 3 Black boys born today will spend time in prison, compared to 1 in every 17 white boys. The United States has long disenfranchised individuals convicted of crimes and in 2022, 4.6 million Americans were barred from voting.

All states deny the right to vote during incarceration and state policies on the enfranchisement of the formerly incarcerated vary widely: Some automatically reinstate voting rights following release while other deny the right to vote until the parole or probation period is complete or require a Governor’s pardon or additional action before voting rights are restored. (It should be noted that in the District of Columbia, those convicted of a felony never lose their right to vote.)

But advocates for the rights of felons and the formerly incarcerated have made substantial inroads and since 1997, over 2 million Americans have had their voting rights restored. Foot Soldiers Park supports the right of all justice-impacted individuals to cast their ballot. We are committed to working in Alabama and across the country to inform those convicted of a felony about their voting rights and to advocate for reforms that expand voting rights for those who have experienced incarceration.

Further Reading on Mass Incarceration:

• American Civil Liberties Unions: Mass Incarceration: An Animated Series

Further Reading on Felon Disenfranchisement:

• National Conference of State Legislatures: Felon Voting Rights
• The Sentencing Project: Expanding the Vote: State Felony Disenfranchisement Reform, 1997-2023