On March 28th, 2022, a three judge pannel ruled 2-1 that the state’s current felony disenfranchisement law violates two clauses of the state constitution, unlocking the votes of over 55,000 North Carolinians with Felony Convictions. The majority opinion found that North Carolina’s disenfranchisement scheme is racially discriminatory in its intent, and has a disparate impact on Black people, excluding them from full participation in our democracy.
The court’s order provided immediate relief, stating that, “Defendants, their agents, contractors, servants, employees, and attorneys, and any persons in active concert or participation with them, are hereby enjoined from preventing any person convicted of a felony from registering to vote or voting due to probation, parole, or post-release supervision.” The order went on to clarify that, “For the avoidance of doubt, under this injunction, if a person otherwise eligible to vote is not in jail or prison for a felony conviction, they may lawfully register and vote in North Carolina.”.
This historic ruling ends the discriminatory disenfranchisement of thousands of North Carolina residents who are living, working and paying taxes in our community, and would otherwise vote in significant numbers had they not been legally barred from doing so for decades.
Read the full press release here.