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 ]
ACLU says former Idaho inmates can cast their ballot [more ]
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