Revisiting the Origins of Felony Disenfranchisement in the United States

We trace the origin of felony disenfranchisement from the colonial period through Reconstruction. On the eve of the Civil War, three-quarters of states had criminal disenfranchisement statutes. These laws were based on “legal moralism” principles, which limited the franchise to those in good standin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inStudies in American political development Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 103 - 116
Main Authors Schroedel, Jean, Rogers, Melissa, Dietrich, Joseph, Garcia, Blake
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.04.2024
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Summary:We trace the origin of felony disenfranchisement from the colonial period through Reconstruction. On the eve of the Civil War, three-quarters of states had criminal disenfranchisement statutes. These laws were based on “legal moralism” principles, which limited the franchise to those in good standing with the community. Efforts at disenfranchisement grew as access to the ballot increased and criminal justice reforms replaced capital and corporal punishment for imprisonment. We highlight important transformations in felony disenfranchisement during Reconstruction, specifically in new state constitutions and the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. All but one Southern state included felon disenfranchisement in their new constitutions that the Republican-controlled Congress ratified for readmission to the United States. Radical Republicans in Congress and state legislatures were in most cases advocates of felony disenfranchisement to exclude former Confederates from political participation.
ISSN:0898-588X
1469-8692
DOI:10.1017/S0898588X24000038