Millions of African Americans to be Denied the Vote in November

Millions of American citizens will be denied their right to vote when the US presidential election takes place in November, due to their criminal past, corroborating sources revealed at the weekend. The increasing number of former inmates in 48 of 50 US states will not vote and are therefore automatically removed from the electoral rolls under the country’s laws.

According to Sentencing Project, an NGO seeking a reform of the American judicial system, more than five million U.S. citizens will be barred from casting their ballots in November due to their current status as prisoners or their criminal records.

Observers said the majority of the offenders are black U.S. citizens, who account for the overwhelming majority of the country’s prison population.

“Blacks are worth 56 percent of prisoners serving a sentence in connection with drugs, even though they are only 14 percent of drug users and less than 13 percent of the U.S. population,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said.

Observers noted that the issue, a legacy of the defunct racial segregation laws, is highly topical ahead of the November presidential elections.

They said states reputed as Republicans could switch allegiance to the Democrats because of the ongoing economic crisis, the Iraq issue and the Barack Obama phenomenon.

In the face of this situation, every voice is crucial and could tilt the balance between Democrats and Republicans.

Recent polls reveal a threatening rise of Democrats in the traditionally Republican state of Virginia.

However, more than 350,000 voters in the majority-black state will not go to the polls because of their criminal past.

Reputed as one of the most stringent states in the US, Virginia, along with Kentucky, bars any of its convicted citizens from voting.

These laws banning former prisoners from voting were in force before the secession war and the 15th Amendment guarantees African-Americans’ right to vote, but some states have enacted exceptions to deny such rights to current or former convicts, observers recalled.

Former prisoners hope to regain their voting rights in Florida and Virginia under their respective governors’ leadership.

Source African Press Agency

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