Ex-Cons and Voting Rights

Originally posted by James
How can it vary state by state for a National election though?

Is there a federal statute discussing this? I didn't thinka state law could supersede federal law, and in the absence of a Law stating that felons can't vote, wouldn't the constitution take precedence?

That federal law would be the Fifthteenth Amendment, which simply states that "the right of citizens of the U.S. to vote shall not be denied on account of race, color...."

As long as states follow this, they are allowed to add any stipulations. It's a method of bounded discretion, which states that they can interpret a law as they see fit, as long as they follow precedence of the higher court/law.