It doesn't have to be "criminal" on the part of the law makers/enforcers to be a political issue - your bar is too high there. cf "institutionally racist"[1].
On the point of who bans you from voting, I think that's hardly the point - the types of crimes that are common in these communities are felonies.
On the point of who bans you from voting, I think that's hardly the point - the types of crimes that are common in these communities are felonies.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_racism