01678nas a2200145   4500008004100000020001400041245008700055210006900142260001200211300001400223490000700237520112800244100002501372856013501397       2011                        eng d  a0362-331900aIdeology over strategy: Extending voting rights to felons and ex-felons, 1966-19920 aIdeology over strategy Extending voting rights to felons and exf  c2011///  a356 - 3630 v483 a<p>The disenfranchisement of felons and ex-felons has long served to restrict the practice of democracy in the United States. In the late 20th century, a number of states allowed increasing numbers of felons and ex-felons to vote. Previous work has noted that Democrats are often associated with extensions of voting rights to felons and ex-felons. If this is the case, what accounts for their support for re-enfranchisement? In this paper I conduct a series of event history analyses of voting rights policy changes at the state level. I argue that Democratic support was not based on expected electoral benefits that might derive from changes in the composition of the electorate. Instead, analyses suggest that would-be reformersoften Democratic, but also Republicanwere importantly constrained by the ideological climate among a state's population. Thus, policy liberalism appears to have trumped crass partisan strategizing in encouraging restoration of voting rights to felons and ex-felons. Results also confirm claims that local patterns of racial domination were relevant in decisions to re-enfranchise or not.</p>1 aBurkhardt, Brett, C.  uhttps://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/biblio/sociology/ideology-over-strategy-extending-voting-rights-felons-and-ex-felons-1966-1992