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Explore our coverage of government and politics.

Felon Voting Rights In The National Spotlight: How Vermont Stands Apart

In this Monday, Oct. 22, 2018 photo, people gather around the Ben & Jerry's "Yes on 4" truck as they learn about Amendment 4 and eat free ice cream in Miami. Amendment 4 asked voters to restore the voting rights of people with past felonies in Florida.
Wilfredo Lee
/
AP
In this Monday, Oct. 22, 2018 photo, people gather around the Ben & Jerry's "Yes on 4" truck as they learn about Amendment 4 and eat free ice cream in Miami. Amendment 4 asked voters to restore the voting rights of people with past felonies in Florida.

At a town hall on CNN last month, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was asked about whether he thinks felons should be allowed to vote, even while incarcerated. He said yes, kicking off a round of national discussion on the topic. We're talking about how it works in Vermont, one of only two states where people convicted of felonies never lose the right to vote.

We're joined by Alec Ewald, an associate professor of political science at UVM who researches voting rights and felony disenfranchisement.

Also by Deborah Markowitz, who served for 12 years as Vermont's Secretary of State starting in 1998, and worked to set up the state's absentee voting program for prisons.

Broadcast live on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Jane Lindholm is the host, executive producer and creator of But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids. In addition to her work on our international kids show, she produces special projects for Vermont Public. Until March 2021, she was host and editor of the award-winning Vermont Public program Vermont Edition.
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