© 2024 WUOT

WUOT
209 Communications Building
1345 Circle Park Drive
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-0322
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

US Attorney General Asks Tennessee And Other States To Restore Voting Rights To Ex-Felons

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/02/11/ap998464900014_wide-f9f96bc56f93820cb079715555e0a7a8cf3bec86-s6-c30.jpg

US Attorney General Eric Holder has asked Tennessee and 10 other states (Arizona, Florida, Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Wyoming, and Virginia) to restore voting rights to those with former felony convictions.

Holder says that failings in the criminal justice system often lead to permanent disenfranchisement for former felons, especially racial minorities. He estimates that 5.8 million Americans with current or previous felony convictions can't vote, including 2.2 million African-American adults. 

Holder also said that 10% of Floridians and 8% of Mississippians are disenfranchised. He did praise Virginia for a new policy that automatically restores the voting rights of former prisoners convicted of nonviolent crimes. 

(A transcript of AG Holder's remarks is here)

Chrissy served as WUOT's News Director and host of monthly public affairs talk show Dialogue from late 2021 to early 2023. Her first job with the station was as weekend student announcer while earning her bachelor's in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee. She had previously been the station's local host for NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered news programs; occasionally filled in as host for WUOT's Morning and Afternoon Concerts; and won multiple awards for her interviews, feature stories, and Dialogue.