UNDATED (AP) -- Forty-thousand citizens in Wisconsin won't be voting on this primary election day.

They are felons who are either on probation or parole. And, unlike some other states, Wisconsin prohibits them from casting their vote.

Proposed legislation with backing from the Wisconsin chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, would give those who've finished their prison time the right to vote, even if they're on probation or parole.

ACLU attorney Renee Crawford says the current state law has a disproportionate impact on blacks -- and repealing the ban would allow them to make a difference in elections. She says that nearby Illinois and Michigan allow those on probation or parole to vote.

The bill's author, Democrat Joe Parisi of Madison, says he hopes the bill will get a hearing before the end of the summer.