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On July 20, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act (VRA)Reauthorization bill, which extends protections put into place in 1965to protect African Americans from voting discrimination. However,legislators missed a chance this year to address widespread racialdiscrimination taking place today in the form of felonydisenfranchisement.
The VRA was originally passed to end discriminatory "Jim Crow"voting registration practices by states and localities. However, the1965 law did not completely solve the problem. States were able tomaintain some of their Jim Crow laws, and even create newdiscriminatory laws in the form of felony disenfranchisement. Felonydisenfranchisement laws either partially or completely suspend aperson's right to vote if he or she has ever had a felony conviction.
Currently, 4.5 million Americans, and about 13 percent of allAfrican American men, are denied the right to vote because of previousfelony convictions. The war on drugs plays a significant role increating these numbers--while African Americans make up only 13 percentof drug users, they account for 38 percent of those arrested for drugoffenses and 59 percent of those convicted of drug offenses.
Congress had a chance to improve the situation with this year's VRArenewal. Last year, Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel of New Yorkintroduced H.R. 663, the Ex-Offenders Voting Rights Act, which wouldreinstate voting rights to any individual upon completion of his or hersentence. Drug Policy Alliance Network, the lobbying arm of DPA,advocated for this bill to be attached as an amendment to the VRArenewal. However, Congress failed to consider adding in the languageout of fear that it might hinder full support of VRA renewal.
Only 16 states currently restore people's right to vote aftercompletion of a prison sentence. Change clearly needs to be made at thefederal level. With another 25 years until the next VRA renewal,Congress' inaction in 2006 is an inexcusable missed opportunity. 25more years is too long to endure this systematic denial of basicconstitutional liberties.
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