Farrakahn Backlash is Misguided

In the wake of the 9th Circuit's decision in Farrakhan v. Washington there has been extensive backlash from critics who assert that the decision, which would effectively allow the incarcerated to vote, is some sort of freakish aberration.

To the contrary, the U.S. is the most punitive state in the world in disenfranchising felons, as this 2006 ACLU report demonstrated.

As the report noted:

There are disagreements and debates within European nations over disfranchisement – but the debate is over which prisoners should be barred from voting. In almost all cases, the debate stops at the prison walls. Seen in this context, the U.S. is an outlier: In other democracies, many inmates vote, and it is extremely rare for anyone who is not in prison to lose the right to vote.