The New York Times has an important editorial today about felon disenfranchisement. Unfortunately, last week the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Massachusetts ban on voting for incarcerated felons.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/opinion/05wed3.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

A 2008 ACLU/Brennan Center report estimates 5.3 million citizens cannot vote as a result of a felony conviction, and nearly 4 million of those citizens have been released from prison and are living and working in the community. 

While Maine is one of two states who allow everyone to vote, federal reform is needed.  on July 24, 2009, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) introduced the Democracy Restoration Act of 2009 (HR 3335 and S1516). ACLU Legislative Counsel Deborah Vagins blogs about this at Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/4/761828/-The-Democracy-Restoration-ActRestoring-a-Civil-Right-Denied-