University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository
Abstract
This examination of the institutional changes to state legislatures, synthesized with an analysis of the handling of felon disenfranchisement laws by state legislatures, presents a troubling realization about the law today: in the twenty-first century, partisan politics moderates decisions about even the most basic and fundamental principles of democracy. This Note suggests that because state legislators follow their party leadership and position, a state\u27s traditional treatment of racial minorities, geographic location, and even ideology are not the strongest indicators of a state\u27s disenfranchisement laws. Rather, partisan politics drives changes to the state laws governing felon voter eligibility
