Civil and Human Rights Groups to U.N.: Felon Disenfranchisement Violates U.S. International Human Rights Obligations

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WASHINGTON –The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has submitted a report to the U.N. Human Rights Committee, co-authored with seven other civil and human rights organizations, documenting how the disenfranchisement of almost six million current and former inmates violates U.S. civil rights and human rights obligations.

The report, “Democracy Imprisoned: a Review of the Prevalence and Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States,” details the impact of these laws and how they violate Articles 25 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the United States ratified in 1992.

The Human Rights Committee will review the United States’ progress on implementing the ICCPR October 17-18 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The report highlights how these laws disproportionately impact minority communities. In states like Florida, Kentucky, and Virginia, more than 20 percent of African-American men cannot vote due to prior to convictions, some long after they’ve completed their sentences. 

The report was co-authored with the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Hip Hop Caucus, and the Sentencing Project.

“America is the world’s greatest democracy, yet these laws deny almost six million Americans the right to vote,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “This report reveals how America is still a work in progress, and while we’ve come so far since our founding, we still have a lot of work ahead of us to perfect our democracy. We look forward to working the Human Rights Committee and policymakers here in the U.S. to remove this stain on our Constitution and to ensure our laws our consistent with our international human rights obligations.”

Click here to download the report.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. 

For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.