--- title: Obama Administration Seeks Voting Rights for Former Inmates description: Attorney General Eric Holder says laws to the contrary are not only "unnecessary and unjust, but they are also counterproductive" canonical: https://time.com/6422/obama-administration-seeks-voting-rights-for-former-inmates/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-02-11T16:31:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:22:05.996Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama Administration Seeks Voting Rights for Former Inmates og:description: Attorney General Eric Holder says laws to the contrary are not only "unnecessary and unjust, but they are also counterproductive" og:url: https://time.com/6422/obama-administration-seeks-voting-rights-for-former-inmates/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt051c6c89b35ed610/69868282cd68484be10934d1/01c3d516a0b442d88516640e8c2037ab-0-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1486 og:image:height: 836 og:image:alt: Eric Holder og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama Administration Seeks Voting Rights for Former Inmates twitter:description: Attorney General Eric Holder says laws to the contrary are not only "unnecessary and unjust, but they are also counterproductive" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt051c6c89b35ed610/69868282cd68484be10934d1/01c3d516a0b442d88516640e8c2037ab-0-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obama Administration Seeks Voting Rights for Former Inmates > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=09303071-2564-4d24-8c07-97619ea00857&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 11, 2014 4:31 PM UTC  Attorney General Eric Holder testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 29, 2014. Attorney General Eric Holder testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 29, 2014. J. Scott Applewhite—AP by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 11, 2014 4:31 PM UTC Attorney General Eric Holder asked state leaders on Tuesday to enact “clear and consistent” reforms that would allow former prison inmates to vote. “There is no rational reason to take away someone’s voting rights because they committed a crime,” Holder said at a conference at Georgetown University. When laws prevent people from voting, Holder said, the country falls “short of the bedrock promise of equal opportunity and equal justice.” Holder said it was time to nix laws that disenfranchise those who are no longer under state or federal supervision. He called restoring the right to vote a fundamental part of the prisoner reentry process and said denying voting rights makes it more likely former inmates will commit future crimes. “These restrictions are not only unnecessary and unjust, they are also counterproductive,” Holder said. “By perpetuating the stigma and isolation imposed on formerly incarcerated individuals, these laws increase the likelihood they will commit future crimes.” Holder said such laws prevent about 5.8 million people from voting, including 2.2 million African-Americans. One in 13 blacks are banned from voting because of the laws, a ratio that increases to one in five in states like Florida, Virginia and Kentucky. 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