Abstract
5.4 million Americans-one in every forty voting age adults-are denied the right to participate in democratic elections because of a past or current felony conviction. In several American states, one in four black men cannot vote due to a felony conviction. In a country that prides itself on universal suffrage, how did the United States come to deny a voice to such a large percentage of its citizenry? What are the consequences of large-scale disenfranchisement-both for election outcomes, and for public policy more generally? This book exposes one of the most important, yet little known, threats to the health of American democracy today. It reveals the centrality of racial factors in the origins of these laws, and their impact on politics today. Marshalling the first real empirical evidence on the issue to make a case for reform, this analysis informs all future policy and political debates on the laws governing the political rights of criminals.
| Language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Number of pages | 376 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780199943975 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780195149326 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 24 2012 |
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Keywords
- Democratic elections
- Disenfranchisement
- Felony conviction
- Racial factors
- Universal suffrage
Cite this
Locked Out : Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy. / Manza, Jeff; Uggen, Christopher.
Oxford University Press, 2012. 376 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book
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TY - BOOK
T1 - Locked Out
T2 - Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy
AU - Manza,Jeff
AU - Uggen,Christopher
PY - 2012/5/24
Y1 - 2012/5/24
N2 - 5.4 million Americans-one in every forty voting age adults-are denied the right to participate in democratic elections because of a past or current felony conviction. In several American states, one in four black men cannot vote due to a felony conviction. In a country that prides itself on universal suffrage, how did the United States come to deny a voice to such a large percentage of its citizenry? What are the consequences of large-scale disenfranchisement-both for election outcomes, and for public policy more generally? This book exposes one of the most important, yet little known, threats to the health of American democracy today. It reveals the centrality of racial factors in the origins of these laws, and their impact on politics today. Marshalling the first real empirical evidence on the issue to make a case for reform, this analysis informs all future policy and political debates on the laws governing the political rights of criminals.
AB - 5.4 million Americans-one in every forty voting age adults-are denied the right to participate in democratic elections because of a past or current felony conviction. In several American states, one in four black men cannot vote due to a felony conviction. In a country that prides itself on universal suffrage, how did the United States come to deny a voice to such a large percentage of its citizenry? What are the consequences of large-scale disenfranchisement-both for election outcomes, and for public policy more generally? This book exposes one of the most important, yet little known, threats to the health of American democracy today. It reveals the centrality of racial factors in the origins of these laws, and their impact on politics today. Marshalling the first real empirical evidence on the issue to make a case for reform, this analysis informs all future policy and political debates on the laws governing the political rights of criminals.
KW - Democratic elections
KW - Disenfranchisement
KW - Felony conviction
KW - Racial factors
KW - Universal suffrage
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U2 - 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.001.0001
DO - 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195149326.001.0001
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SN - 9780195149326
BT - Locked Out
PB - Oxford University Press
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