NEW YORK, -- Today, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) released Free the Vote: Unlocking Democracy in the Cells and on the Streets, a report detailing the impact felon disfranchisement laws have on communities of color nationwide. "Securing the right to vote for the disfranchised - persons who have lost their voting rights as a result of a felony conviction - is the next phase of the voting rights movement," said Ryan P. Haygood, Co-Director of LDF's Political Participation Group. LDF's report details that more than 5.3 million Americans who have been convicted of a felony are denied access to the one fundamental right that is the foundation of all other rights. Nearly 2 million, or 38%, of the disfranchised are African Americans. Moreover, "Regrettably, more than a century after emancipation, and in the 45th anniversary year of the Voting Rights Act, increasing numbers of Blacks and Latinos nationwide are actually losing their right to vote each day, rather than experiencing greater access to political participation," continued Haygood. ABOUT LDF The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) is America's legal counsel on issues of race. Through advocacy and litigation, LDF focuses on issues of education, voter protection, economic justice and criminal justice. We encourage students to embark on careers in the public interest through scholarships and internship programs. LDF pursues racial justice to move our nation toward a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all. Media Contact: Mel Gagarin, (212) 965-2783 or mgagarin@naacpldf.org SOURCE NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund RELATED LINKS
http://www.naacpldf.org