Ohio Convicts to be told of rights

A federal judge has ordered the Summit County Board of Elections to start notifying convicts that they can register to vote if they aren't in prison. A prisoner-rights advocacy group, the Racial Fairness Project, sued the elections board on Monday for not telling convicts that they can vote as long as they aren't in prison. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, sought immediate action. Convicted felons in Ohio are allowed to vote as long as they aren't incarcerated. The Summit County elections board sends a letter to convicted voters telling them their registration is canceled when they go to prison. But the letter doesn't tell them they can re-register to vote once they get out. The Racial Fairness Project wants to change this. Lawyers for the Prison Reform Advocacy Center in Cincinnati filed the suit on behalf of the organization and other plaintiffs. U.S. District Judge John Adams on Monday ordered the elections board to send a letter to all convicts who within the last three years received the board's letter about the cancellation of voting rights, notifying them they have the right to re-register to vote if they are out of prison. [more ]

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