A new Howard Law Journal (Vol 54, No. 3, 2011) article, “Voting Behind Bars: An Argument for Voting by Prisoners” by Marc Mauer of the Sentencing Project examines the origins and impact of the contemporary disenfranchisement practices. Mauer argues that felony disenfranchisement policies are inherently undemocratic, including for persons in prison.   Mauer demonstrates how felony disenfranchisement exacerbates existing racial disparities and the challenges to reentry prisoners already face. The study is available here.