| Alabama Voting Rights
For Drug Possession Offenses - May 18, 2005 - Many state prisoners
convicted of drug and alcohol felonies may be eligible to vote, even while
incarcerated, though they probably don't know it. The state Board of Pardons
and Paroles announced Wednesday that under a 1996 amendment to the Alabama
constitution, inmates convicted of DUIs or drug possession alone never
lose their voting rights - despite common belief that felons are prohibited
from casting ballots. "Everybody thought anyone convicted of a felony lost
the right to vote," said Cynthia Dillard, assistant director for the pardons
and paroles board. Dillard said the parole board looked into the issue
after hearing about a Pell City prosecutor trying to charge an inmate who
attempted to vote in last November's elections. The board received a March
18 advisory opinion from Attorney General Troy King, who said only those
felonies involving "moral turpitude" - meaning the crimes are inherently
immoral - disqualify a convict from voting. |
