Knowledge & attitudes towards felon-voting rights: an examination of the untapped perspectives of HBCU college students

Abstract

Past punishment-related attitudinal research has focused on criminal sanctions and certain collateral consequences of conviction; however, few studies have examined attitudes towards felon disenfranchisement. Fewer studies have used a sample consisting of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students to examine attitudes towards consequences of conviction. This research examines views toward felon-voting prohibitions in a state that has one of the most restrictive laws in this area. It utilizes a modified version of a previously used national survey instrument, which measured attitudes toward felon enfranchisement based on variations of the correctional status of a convicted offender. The implications of the findings are contextualized by examining the role of public views on policy in a democracy; the significance of examining the attitudes of a sampling of students at an HBCU, and the need for more comprehensive research in this area.

Keywords:

• felony disenfranchisement
• voting rights
• African-American students
• felon-voting rights

Notes

1. We recognize that the generalizability of our sample is low because it is nonrandom. As with other research that has charted new ground (i.e. Gibbs, Giever, & Higgins, 2003; Higgins, 2004 for a few small examples), this research should not be discounted. Payne and Chappell (2008) argued that college students provided an efficient means of collecting data for new discoveries when resources are low, or the sample, as in this case HBCU, is able to offer something unique.