The Disenfranchisement of Ex-Felons

In the 2004 presidential election, 4,686,539 Americans—a population greater than the city of Los Angeles—were barred from the polls. In a country that has extended suffrage to virtually every other class of citizen, ex-felons are the sole segment of our population deemed unworthy to exercise what the Supreme Court has called "the right preservative of all other rights," the right to vote. The Disenfranchisement of Ex-Felons provides a comprehensive overview of the history, nature, and far-reachi