Lawsuit seeks to overturn Alabama’s felon voting rights ban

The lawsuit argues the ban is an unconstitutional infringement on the right to vote, unfairly punishes people after sentences are complete and impacts minority communities

September 27, 2016 04:08 PM

Supporters for a bill that would automatically restore voting rights to convicted felons upon their release from prison hold up signs supporting the bill during a news conference Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006, in front of the State House in Montgomery, Ala.

By Kim Chandler
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal lawsuit is challenging Alabama’s policy of stripping convicted felons’ of their right to vote.

The Greater Birmingham Ministries and 10 Alabama residents who aren’t allowed to vote because of a past felony conviction filed the lawsuit Monday in Montgomery federal court. They argue that the blanket ban is an unconstitutional infringement on the right to vote, unfairly punishes people long after their sentences are complete and disproportionately impacts minority communities.

The lawsuit quotes 2014 statistics from the Sentencing Project that estimated more than 260,000 people were blocked from voting in Alabama. Nearly half were African-American.

The Alabama attorney general’s office did not have an immediate comment. A spokesman for Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said the office has a policy of not commenting on ongoing litigation.

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