Lawsuit Claims Ohio Denies Ex-Prisoners' Right To Vote
Wednesday, August 18, 2004 at 04:26AM
TheSpook
Ohio elections officials have improperly told convicted
felons no longer incarcerated that they cannot vote, according to a
lawsuit filed Tuesday by activists. Ohio law requires local boards of
election to cancel the voting registration of those convicted of
felonies. But another state law says the voting rights of convicted
felons must be restored if they are no longer incarcerated, according
to the lawsuit filed by two advocacy organizations representing
prisoners, ex-offenders and their families. "Convicted felons who are
on probation, parole or post-release control are not required to
complete probation, parole or post-release control before registering
to vote," the lawsuit said. It claims that county boards of election
across Ohio have been giving out erroneous information that has led
some released felons to believe that they are barred from voting. It
alleges that Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's chief
elections officer, has been aware of this confusion but has failed to
take steps to ensure that all 88 county boards of election comply with
Ohio's felon re-enfranchisement law. [more ]
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