A new report shows nearly a quarter-million Kentuckians are denied access to voting booths because of felony convictions.
The report released Tuesday by the League of Women Voters of Kentucky says the state has the third highest rate of people who lost their voting rights despite completing felony sentences. Among blacks, Kentucky has the second highest disenfranchisement rate.
The report says one of every 14 adults in Kentucky is ineligible to vote due to a felony conviction, well above the national rate.
It says Kentucky is one of four states that permanently disenfranchise all felons, even after they complete their sentences.
The report says Kentucky's process to regain voting rights is one of the nation's "most burdensome."
For years, legislation to amend Kentucky's constitution to restore some felons' voting rights has failed.
