LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Ex-felons who have served their time should have the right to vote, according to a coalition led by the League of Women Voters.
The League released a new report Thursday that shows African Americans and Hispanics are disproportionately denied access to the ballot box because of past convictions.
They are calling on the legislature to pass a constitutional amendment that would automatically restore voting rights to most ex-felons.
"My last arrest was Dec. 1, 2007 — a non-violent offense over 13 years ago — and I cannot vote," said Marcus Jackson of ACLU of Kentucky. "For me, being denied the right to vote is frustrating and traumatic, frustrating in that I am a husband, father, son, brother and more than my past."
The League said Kentucky is one of only three states that does not automatically restore voting rights to felons who have finished their sentences.
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