Florida disproportionately keeps blacks with previous felony convictions from voting

About 6.1 millions Americans will not be able to vote this election due to state laws preventing felonies from voting.

Florida, Iowa and Virginia are the most extreme with a lifetime voting ban on those who've been convicted of felonies. Florida prevents the most of its population from voting due to these laws (Fig. 1). This law also prevents 1 in 5 of Florida's African Americans from voting, according to The New York Times.

(Fig. 1)

The article also points out institutionalized racism's role in the sentencing process contributes to the disproportionate amount of blacks who now can't vote.

I did some digging myself. I noticed Iowa prevents a much smaller number of felonies from voting than other states that also have a lifetime voting ban law (Fig. 1). So I looked into the percentage of the population blacks in Iowa.

Iowa has a population of 3.5 percent African Americans, according to the U.S. Census and only prevents 2.2 percent of its population from voting even though it also has the lifetime voting ban law. Meanwhile, Florida's preventing 10.4 percent of its population from voting, but also has a much higher black population than Iowa at 16.8 percent.

Now I'll compare the state's black populations to the percent of blacks in the number of banned voters. Only 3.5 percent of Iowa's population is African American, while 9.5 percent of those prevented from voting are black (Fig. 2). These numbers are disproportionate. In Florida, while 16.8 percent of the population is black, 21.3 percent of those who can't vote are black (Fig. 2)

(Fig. 2)

Only a quarter of the country's population that can't vote is currently incarcerated, according to The Times. Two of the three states that have these lifetime voting bans on people with felony convictions also are disproportionately affecting blacks the most: Florida and Virginia (Fig. 2).

So who are these laws preventing from voting: those with felony convictions or African Americans?
Why would someone previously convicted of a felony be deemed stable enough to live in society next to fellow citizens again, but not safe enough to vote and contribute to American politics?



source: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/06/us/unequal-effect-of-laws-that-block-felons-from-voting.html?_r=0