Law Commons^™

Felony Financial Disenfranchisement, Neel U. Sukhatme, Alexander Billy, Gaurav Bagwe

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Individuals with prior felony convictions often must complete all terms of their sentence before they regain voter eligibility. Many jurisdictions include legal-financial obligations (LFOs) — fines, fees, and/or restitution stemming from convictions — in the terms of the sentence. Twenty-eight states, governing over 182 million Americans, either directly or indirectly tie LFO repayment to voting privileges, a practice we call felony financial disenfranchisement.

Proponents of felony financial disenfranchisement posit that returning citizens must satisfy the financial obligations stemming from convictions to restore themselves as community equals. Moralism aside, others claim low rates of electoral participation among those with felony convictions …

Check One And The Accountability Is Done: The Harmful Impact Of Straight-Ticket Voting On Judicial Elections, Meryl Chertoff, Dustin F. Robinson

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

States that elect judges are heir to a populist tradition dating back to the Jacksonian era. In the spectrum between independence and accountability, these states emphasize accountability. Systems vary from state to state, and even within states there may be geographic diversity or different selection systems for different levels of courts. Elections can be partisan or non-partisan, contested, or, as in merit-selection states, retention. Some states have dabbled in public financing of judicial elections. Reformers are most critical of contested partisan elections. Those are the elections where the most money is spent, the nastiest ads aired, and the dignity of …

A Mental Patient's Right To Vote: An Analysis Of The Wild Case, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article is an analysis of the Wild case that was heard on 15 June 1976 by Judge Lloyd Jones of the County Court, Warrington.

In order to vote, the person's name must appear on the register of electors as a resident of a particular locality. Any place where the elector legitimately resides (even a hostel, a general hospital or a university) may be used as an address which qualifies a person for entry onto the register. The one exception is found in section 4(3) of the Representation of the People Act 1949, as amended by the Mental Health Act, …