Maryland Votes for Freedom

As the infographs presented by PrisonPath show below, the United States, through state laws, prohibits approximately six million Americans with felony convictions from voting. If our disenfranchised were citizens of Australia, Spain, France, Ireland or Germany, they would have the freedom to vote.

About 4.5 million Americans are barred from voting because they have felon records or are on parole or probation. On Tuesday, the Maryland legislature voted against prohibiting this basic freedom. The Maryland legislature voted against Governor Hogan’s veto allowing felons to vote while on parole or probation. The legislators voted in favor to restore this basic constitutional right because research proved that civic participation reduced recidivism. The American Probation and Parole Association told the Maryland legislature that “civic participation was crucial to help people become law-abiding citizens.”

It is estimated that 40,000 Maryland citizens including this author will now be able to vote again.

Disenfranchised Voters Infographic

Almost six million Americans are disenfranchised from voting even if the former inmates are again productive members of society who pay taxes. Several states do not restore the right to vote upon completion of the sentence. Thirteen states allow probationers and parolees the right to vote and nineteen states allow former inmates the right to vote upon completion of their sentence.

SOURCES: ProCon.org, American Civil Liberties Union

By: Bradley Schwartz
Founder of prisonpath.com