...A good thing, but it begs the question: Why should one in four blacks in Iowa have a felony conviction on record? LWB, Living While Black?
Links on page: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2005/06/iowa-to-restore-voting-rights-to-ex.php
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Iowa to restore voting rights to ex-felons Christopher Tate at 3:00 PM | Post comments [1]
[JURIST] Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack [official profile] announced Friday that he will sign an order on July 4 to restore voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. The decision will end a system that had disqualified one out of every four black Iowans from voting [Sentencing Project backgrounder, PDF]. In total, the order will reinstate the voting rights of approximately 80,000 ex-felons. Read the Governor's press release and watch recorded video of his press conference. The New York Times has more. The Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law provides background on felony disenfranchisement in all 50 states.
Leigh http://www.leighm.net
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