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Rolling Stone questions the laws of Florida and eleven other states that have prohibited residents convicted of felony from casting votes until the end of their lives. The author looks at this issue as "the worst violation of the democratic process," since 5 million free U.S. citizens are disenfranchised. The analysis points out that more than half of the legally prevented form casting their votes are black or Latino, and finds that since 1865 forbidding ex-felons to vote has been "one device to limit the political power of African Americans." The story sheds light on a class-action lawsuit in Florida, which can make disenfranchisement an issue in the 2002 gubernatorial election.

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