And the clock is ticking. Gary Mitchell, the lawyer representing Essex County Jail inmates in a class action suit against the county citing poor lockup conditions, said the proposal made sense. Jacobs, meanwhile, is still trying to arrange a meeting with county corrections officials to work something out. Corrections Director Salvatore Palumbo said he's still considering the proposal. Currently 3.9 million Americans are disqualified from voting because of an inconsistent patchwork of state laws that disenfranchise citizens who have been convicted of a felony.
Experts believe that in seven states one in four black men has permanently lost the right to vote.