by TChris

Civil rights groups are frustrated that the Democratic party has not worked harder in Florida to restore the voting rights of residents who have felony convictions.

The law [disenfranchising felons] has been on the books since 1868, when Florida gave blacks the right to vote as a condition of the state's being readmitted to the Union after the Civil War. A new State Constitution drafted that year expanded the number of crimes that required disenfranchisement, a change that critics say was meant to affect blacks disproportionately.

More than one in four African American men in Florida are unable to vote. Increasing numbers of ex-felons have had their voting rights restored after the problem became widely publicized following the presidential election in 2000, but the process is cumbersome and the waiting time is significant.

Arguments against disenfranchising participants in a democracy are strong.

"Why should we keep people from voting after we spent all this money rehabilitating them?" Representative Kendrick B. Meek, a Miami Democrat, said. "Why stand in judgment on whether they should vote or not? This is politicians standing in and playing the role of virtuecrat."

Scott Maddox, the Demoratic party chairman, says that Governor Bush and the Florida legislature support the ban for partisan reasons. He also sees hypocrisy in their unwillingness to forgive felons who have paid their debt to society.

"It's amazing to me that these Republicans that keep quoting the Bible seemingly don't believe in redemption and forgiveness when it comes to restoring civil rights," Mr. Maddox said through a spokeswoman.