Thread by @Taniel

@daveweigel Many states implemented disenfranchisement statutes after Reconstruction. For instance, in 1890 MS chose some offenses to be disenfranchising & some not. (Still today, some incarcerated people can vote, but many offenses disenfranchise for life.) appealpolitics.org/2018/mississip…

@daveweigel New Jersey "first prohibited people with criminal convictions from voting ... the same year it constitutionalized its restriction of the right to vote to white men." njisj.org/1844nomorerepo…

@daveweigel Alabama disenfranchised people of convicted of the very specific category of "a felony involving moral turpitude" in a convention whose presdient declared ". If we should have white supremacy, we must establish it by law — not by force or fraud" themarshallproject.org/2018/08/20/jim…

@daveweigel And if you're reading this thread & wondering why these disenfranchisement statutes function a way to disproportionately exclude African Americans specifically, well, it's not very complicated given stuff like this appealpolitics.org/2018/kentucky-…

@daveweigel Add to that the horrid practice by which incarcerated individuals are "counted" in districts where they're incarcerated (!), greatly increasing the political power of those disproportionately white regions at the expense of their home communities WHILE THEIR VOICE ISN'T COUNTED!

@daveweigel Then there is Massachusetts, last state to introduce disenfranchisement, after Dem lawmakers & the GOP governor lost it in 1997-2000 because a group of people incarcerated in a prison were organizing... to distribute political literature. appealpolitics.org/2019/massachus…

@daveweigel Okay, let's end with 3 reasons why this isn't a debate "for Twitter" (besides that it's important, & that whole system is nauseating):
1. 2 states, ME & VT (which just happen to be 2 whitest states) DO allow all citizens to vote, shaming whole idea this is unworkable or radical.

@daveweigel 2) Incarceration is so racially & ethnically biased that it's hard to comprehend how you can expect to have lofty statements about racial & social justice without just calling out all this BS.

This is Hawaii: appealpolitics.org/2019/hawaii-pr…

@daveweigel 3) There are a lot of activists & organizers & affected people working hard against disenfranchisement and that of course by no means makes it mainstream & popular, but they've TREMENDOUSLY changed the conversation in 8 months, so don't count them out. appealpolitics.org/disenfranchise…