If George W. Bush pulls off an electoral victory in Florida to capture the presidency, a racist Reconstruction-era law that aims to limit the black vote may play a main factor.

As many as 31 percent of African-American men in Florida were barred Tuesday from casting a vote under a mid-19th century law that disenfranchises convicted felons. Nationwide 1.4 million African-American men, and 4.2 million Americans in all, are prohibited from voting based on similar laws, many of which date to the late 1860s shortly after former slaves were given the right to vote.

Overall in Florida, about 500,000 ex-felons -- 5 percent of the total voting population -- can not vote. Considering the slim voting difference of less than 2,000 between the Texas Governor and Vice President Al Gore, the impact 500,000 extra voters, including a disproportionate number of African-Americans, could have had on the final vote is substantial.