(Michael Dooley/Creative Commons)

In Alaska, Georgia, and North Carolina, three key states that allowed Republicans to take the Senate majority, the number of votes that the Republican candidate won by was smaller than the number of disenfranchised felons. The bitterly contested gubernatorial race in Florida, in which a Republican also won, also fell within this margin. 

Most states prohibit those ser ving felony sentences from voting - regardless of whether they are physically in prison or living in their communities under parole or probation. But 12 states prevent those with a felony conviction from voting long after they have completed their sentences, even for life - hitting the African-American vote the hardest. 

Read more at Vox.com.

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