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Kevin B. Smith, Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The nation is missing millions of voters due to lack of rights for former felons

Voter Electoral College Electoral College Prison
Javon Jackson, center, was able to register to vote following passage of a 2019 Nevada law that restored voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals. AP Photo/John Locher

If you gathered every American with a prison record into one contiguous territory and admitted it to the union, you would create the 12th-largest state. It would be home to at least 7 million to 8 million people and hold a dozen votes in the Electoral College.

In a close presidential race, this hypothetical state of the formerly incarcerated could decide who wins the White House.

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