Background. The first US felony disenfranchisement laws were introduced in 1792 in Kentucky, and by 1840 four states had felony disenfranchisement policies. By the American Civil War, about twenty-four states had some form of felony disenfranchisement policy or similar provision in the state constitution.

When did felons lose the right to bear arms?

Loss of right to possess firearms

Since 1968, felons are regarded by the federal government, and most US states, as being "prohibited persons" under US law (18 U.S. Code § 922(g)).

Is disenfranchisement unconstitutional?

“Unlike any other voting qualification, felon disenfranchisement laws are explicitly endorsed by the text of the Fourteenth Amendment… They are presumptively constitutional. Only a narrow subset of them – those enacted with an invidious, racially discriminatory purpose – is unconstitutional.”