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March 30, 2004

Felon Voting a Human Right

There has been a lot of discussion about how stripping felons of their voting rights is a legacy of racism in many states.

Adding weight to the idea that permanently stripping anyone of their right to vote violates democratic rights, the European court declared that an absolute bar on voting rights for felons violates article 3 of the first protocol to the Human Rights Convention, where European states agree to hold elections "under conditions which will ensure the free expression of the opinion of the people."

In the US, where as many as one out of four black men are denied the right to vote in states like Florida, it is clear that basic tenets of democracy are being violated in our country as well.

Posted by Nathan at March 30, 2004 11:09 PM