Endorse the Right to Vote campaign

Basically these laws are just used to disfranchise ALL blacks - not just those with a felony conviction. If you happen to have the same name as an ex-felon.

http://www.righttovote.org/involved.asp?Subsection=endorse

Today, nearly 5 million American citizens cannot vote as a result of laws in 48 states and the District of Columbia that disfranchise people with felony convictions. These figures have increased dramatically in recent years with shift in law enforcement and sentencing practices brought about by the “war on drugs," and are now at an historic high. African Americans are disproportionately affected by these policies, with an estimated 13% of black males currently unable to vote. Given current rates of incarceration, 3 in 10 of the next generation of black men will be disfranchised at some point in their lives. Latinos are also disproportionately affected. These laws are also open to abuse and manipulation — in the 2000 election, the State of Florida illegally purged thousands of eligible voters from the rolls before the election after using faulty criminal conviction data and a flawed matching process to identify ineligible voters.

U.S. policies in this regard are extreme in comparison with those of other Western democracies. In 14 of our states, a felony conviction can result in the loss of voting rights for life; no other democratic nation permanently strips voting rights from people with felony convictions, and many do not disfranchise felons at all.

The loss of voting rights confuses generally accepted notions of punishment for a criminal offense with the denial of a fundamental right of citizenship. Further, disfranchisement interferes with the process of reintegration of ex-offenders into society, impeding their rehabilitation and further marginalizing them. People who feel a sense of engagement with and responsibility to their communities are more likely to be productive members of society.

Recognizing the impact of these policies, policymakers and citizens in many states have begun to advocate for change. As a result of bipartisan efforts in 9 states in the past 7 years, such policies have been repealed or scaled back, and organized campaigns have developed in other states as well. Leading associations of professionals and policymakers, including the American Bar Association, American Correctional Association, and the National Commission on Federal Election Reform (chaired by former Presidents Ford and Carter), have also called for change in these policies.