According to Drum, depriving ex-felons of the franchise is also “intentionally or not...seriously racist. Because of the disparity in sentencing for crack vs. powder cocaine, a much larger percentage of blacks get convicted on drug charges [and thus lose the franchise] than whites.” Again, I agree.

This raises a question, however. Why limit the restoration of ex-felon rights to the fifteenth amendment? Why not restore their second amendment rights as well? Unfortunately, many states routinely prohibit ex-felons from owning guns. If Drum is right about the racist implications of laws denying ex-felons the vote (and I think he is), the logic of his argument also applies to laws prohibiting them the right to own guns. Because blacks are more likely to live in high-crime areas, these laws disproportionately deprives them of a means of self-defense.