To the Editor:

Re “Penalty: Up to 2 Years in Prison. Charge: Casting an Illegal Vote” (front page, Aug. 5 ):

The prosecution of a dozen people in North Carolina for voting while under probation or parole supervision points to the ripple effects of felony disenfranchisement policy. More than six million Americans are kept out of the voting booth because of a felony conviction, and many are unaware of their disqualification from voting. The best remedy for illegal voting is systems change, not individual prosecutions.

As an increasing number of states have enacted reforms to disenfranchisement policy, there is growing understanding of the ways in which felony disenfranchisement runs counter to public safety objectives. By labeling individuals second-class citizens, we erect unnecessary barriers to their successful integration into the community.

In the short term, courts and correction systems should be required to inform people when their voting rights are taken away and how to regain those rights. Few jurisdictions currently do so.

Ultimately, there is the question of whether anyone should lose the right to vote because of a criminal conviction. Many countries in Europe permit everyone to vote, including those in prison, as the states of Maine and Vermont do . These jurisdictions recognize the important distinction between legitimate punishment for crime and the fundamental rights of citizenship.