Mother Jones: Guess Which State Is Facing a Felon Voting Rights Lawsuit
"Citizens with past felony convictions work and pay taxes and should have a say in deciding their community's and the nation's laws that directly impact their lives,"said Gerry Hebert, executive director of the Campaign Legal Center, which is representing the plaintiffs in the case along with the Voting Rights Institute and the law firm Jenner & Block.
"Felony disenfranchisement laws have the undeniable effect of diminishing the political power of minority communities," said Danielle Lang, an attorney for the Campaign Legal Center. She explained that these laws began with "the racially discriminatory policies of the Jim Crow era," and "continue to primarily harm people of color and distort our democracy."