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Fact Sheet

Texas Should Restore Voting Rights to Over 450,000 Citizens

By Kevin Muhitch, Kristen M. Budd, Ph.D. and Whitney Threadcraft, Ph.D.

The number of Texans denied voting rights due to a felony conviction is larger than the disenfranchised populations of 47 states.

Related to: Voting Rights, State Advocacy, Racial Justice

The number of Texans denied voting rights due to a felony conviction is larger than the disenfranchised populations of 47 states. Outpaced only by Florida and Tennessee, Texas currently locks out 455,160 citizens from our democracy—2.5% of the state’s voting age population. Texas forbids all citizens incarcerated for a felony conviction or on felony probation or parole from voting—a law that is more restrictive than 24 states and Washington, DC. Texas denies the vote to a higher percentage of its voting age citizens than its neighboring states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

Click here to read the fact sheet.

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About the Authors

  • Kevin Muhitch

    Research Fellow

  • Kristen M. Budd, Ph.D.

    Research Analyst

    Kristen M. Budd, Ph.D., has an academic and research background in the social and legal responses to interpersonal violence with a focus on crimes of a sexual nature. She has conducted research on public perceptions of sex offenses and corresponding laws and criminal justice practice as well as patterns and predictors of sex offense behavior and victimization.

    Read more about Kristen

  • Whitney Threadcraft, Ph.D.

    Research Fellow

Related Resources

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Press Release

Maryland Lawmakers Fail to Pass Voter Reg. for Returning Citizens

The Maryland Senate failed to pass a bill that would have guaranteed access to voter registration and the ballot for justice-impacted residents by expanding automatic voter registration policies to include the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).