In three states – Florida, Kentucky and Iowa – all individuals convicted of felonies lose their voting rights permanently, and they must directly petition the government to get them back.
Compared to other nations, the United States is very strict with regard to denying the right to vote to people with prior felony convictions.
[4] See “Felony Disenfranchisement, Contemporary Practice By Country, United States” Several groups in the U.S. are active in the movement to restore voting rights to people with prior felony convictions, including the American Civil Liberties Union, FairVote, Prison Policy Initiative, Advancement Project, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, and The Sentencing Project.
"Once a citizen has done time and repaid his or her debt to society, they should not be deprived of their fundamental right to vote," said Judith Browne-Dianis, co-director of Advancement Project.
[10] In 2014, Attorney General Eric Holder called for voting rights to be restored to people with prior felony convictions at a speech at Georgetown University.