Barriers to the Ballot Box: The Lingering Effects of Felony Disenfranchisement on Electoral Participation

Felony disenfranchisement laws impact millions of Americans. While the majority of those who are disenfranchised across the country eventually get their right to vote back, people who have been disenfranchised have a much lower turnout rate than the general population once they become eligible. This thesis explores the reasons behind this phenomenon: why are people who have been previously disenfranchised through felony conviction so much less likely to vote than the rest of the general public?  This thesis explores this question in North Carolina through focus groups and questionnaires, sampling those previously disenfranchised due to felony convictions to examine their experiences with voting, political efficacy, and civic engagement. This thesis argues that three key themes interact to present barriers to participation based on the experiences of participants. The first is low external political efficacy and mistrust in elected officials, making voting feel like a futile exercise. The second is low internal political efficacy and civic knowledge gaps, which led participants to feel underqualified to vote or to be unaware of their right to vote. The third theme is a fear of punishment for attempting to vote with a felony conviction.  These results indicate that legal re-enfranchisement does not meaningfully reintegrate those with felony convictions back into the electoral system. There are still significant barriers to voting even after an individual has regained their legal right to vote. This thesis sheds light on the lack of turnout in this population and presents opportunities for the state of North Carolina to make policy changes to address these barriers.