It has been common practice in the United States to make felons ineligible to vote, in some cases permanently. Over the last few decades, the general trend has been toward reinstating the right to vote at some point, although this is a state-by-state policy choice. (See “Recent State Actions” below for a chronology.) 

Currently, state approaches to felon disenfranchisement vary tremendously. NCSL has divided states into four categories, as detailed in Table 1 below.  

In all cases, “automatic restoration” does not mean voter registration is automatic. Typically, prison officials automatically inform election officials that an individual’s rights have been restored. The person is then responsible for re-registering through normal processes. Some states, such as California, require voter registration information be provided to formerly incarcerated people.  

In summary: 

• In the District of Columbia, Maine and Vermont, felons never lose their right to vote, even while they are incarcerated.  
• In 23 states, felons lose their voting rights only while incarcerated, and receive automatic restoration upon release. Note that in Maryland, convictions for buying or selling votes can only be restored through pardon. 
• In 15 states, felons lose their voting rights during incarceration, and for a period of time after, typically while on parole and/or probation. Voting rights are automatically restored after this time period. Former felons may also have to pay any outstanding fines, fees or restitution before their rights are restored.  
• In 10 states, felons lose their voting rights indefinitely for some crimes, or require a governor’s pardon for voting rights to be restored, face an additional waiting period after completion of sentence (including parole and probation) or require additional action before voting rights can be restored. These states are listed in the fourth category on Table 1. Details on these states are found in Table 2 below. (click on the link https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/felon-voting-rights )