Restricting the Voting Rights of Felons

One of the more controversial debates in today’s political arena, especially around election times, is that of felon disenfranchisement. The disenfranchisement of felons, or the practice of denying felons and ex-felons the right to vote, has been in practice before the colonization of America and traces back to early England; however, it has not become so controversial and publicized until recent times. “In today’s political system, felons and ex-felons are the only competent adults that are denied the right to vote; the total of those banned to vote is approximately 4.7 million men and women, over two percent of the nation’s population” (Reiman 3).

About 5.26 million people with a felony conviction are not allowed to vote in elections. Each state has its own laws on disenfranchisement. Nine states in America permanently restrict felons from voting while Vermont and Maine allow felons to vote while in prison. Proponents of felon re-enfranchisement believe felons who have paid their debt to society by completing their sentences should have all of their rights and privileges restored. They argue that efforts to block ex-felons from voting are unfair, undemocratic, and politically or racially motivated. Opponents of felon voting say the restrictions are consistent with other voting limitations such as age, residency, mental capacity, and other felon

Should ex-felons be able to vote once they complete their sentence in prison? About 5 million people with a felony conviction can’t cast a vote in elections. In different states, there are different laws which mean some states go about felon voting differently. There are 9 states who permanently banned you from voting. People who are against ex -felons rights being restored argue no, because they feel that felons couldn’t make logic decisions before they got in prison so why would they be able to make logic decisions once they’re out. People who are for felons to be able to vote argue yes, because regardless of what they have done in their past, they’ve already paid for their crime and it is unfair. (Feaser). By law American citizens have the right to vote. Felons who have paid their debt to society by completing their sentences should have all their rights and privileges restored. By letting felons vote it will make the voting more diverse, and equal. Also allowing felons to vote will help with their transition back into society.

“There is an estimated number of 5.85 million Americans who are prohibited from voting due to laws that disenfranchise citizens convicted of felony offenses.” (Uggen). Varying by state, each disenfranchisement law is different. Only 2 out of 50 U.S. states; Vermont & Maine, authorize voting from convicted felons incarcerated and liberated as shown in (Fig. 1). But of the 48 remaining states these rights are either prohibited or authorized in at least 5 years succeeding to liberation. This disenfranchisement needs to be retracted due to fact that convicted felons; incarcerated or liberated, are U.S. citizens who are guaranteed constitutional rights that should allow them as citizens to have equal opportunity in political and social

Felon disenfranchisement is the loss of the right to vote for people who have committed felonies. When researching deeper into felon disenfranchisement, there is an underlying racial factor that consistently comes up. Some say disenfranchisement of felons is racially oppressive and a threat to democracy, while some argue that it’s functional and that race has no relevance. To start this paper I will give a brief background on felon disenfranchisement in relation to race. I will examine and analyze those who believe that “yes,” disenfranchisement of felons is heavily rooted in racial persecution. I will then examine and analyze those who say “no”, felon disenfranchisement is necessary and has no racial impact. After copious amounts of research, I have come to agree with the “yes” side, because their facts are more persuasive and their use of history is in depth, and as a whole this side delivered a well rounded argument.

The author proves that racism thrives by highlighting the African Americans ' reality as it is today. Virtually in many states, convicted felons cannot vote resulting in an extraordinary amount of African Americans barred from voting. A large number of blacks have served time in prison as a result of

Many supporters of a felon’s right to vote believe that it is one-sided to punish them twice for the same crime. That they have the right to vote behind bars. They believe that confinement and losing their right to vote, would be one too many punishments for one crime. There should be a way to exempt felons from losing their right to vote and that this shouldn’t be an infringement on their rights as a us citizen.

Restoring voting rights for felons is important in a democratic society. The Eight Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits excessive sanctions. This means that a felon should be punished in proportion with the felon’s offense.

Millions of Americans lose the right to vote due to past felony convictions. While majority of Americans have completed their sentence, they are still not afforded the opportunity to vote. In some states voting rights of felons are terminated all together while other states allow felons who have completed their sentence to regain their voting rights. Felon disenfranchisement is not being allowed to vote after committing a felony. Felon Disenfranchisement takes a toll on our society by placing limits on the amount of possible state votes, and discontinues voting rights in some states. A vast number of citizens believe that felons should not have the right to vote.

The votes of felons are also relevant enough that if they were permitted to engage in democracy, they could change political outcomes. While disenfranchised felons only make up a little over 2% of the voting age population, their votes have been found to have enough influence to affect elections. Since those convicted of felonies are likely to be of a minority race or poor, it is likely felon disenfranchisement laws take away votes from the Democratic party and Independent votes. People of color make up roughly 60 percent of the prison population in the U.S. and make up larger proportions of the Democratic party than they do Republican or Independent (Kerby, 2012). Nearly 90% of the Republican party is white, 70% of Independent parties are

The long lines, the electric voting machines, and the “I voted” pin that you will get on the way out. These are the things that many people will never get to do. The majority of felons should be allowed to vote because one’s freedom of opinion should not be taken; the Constitution has amendments that should protect voting rights, and a felony can be a minor offense or simply a misunderstanding.

But the reality is many past felons go through their life not knowing that they can actually vote upon completing their sentence. Once they are in prison, they hate the system and have lost their rights to be a part of society again. So they must be educated on when they can gain this right amongst other if it is possible. Although, those ex-felons who previously could not vote and now can, the journey to vote is long and difficult. Depending on the state and their laws some felons can gain their right after completing their sentence and parole or probation. However, some states make it harder for those who re-register for voting more complicated. They create barriers where ex-felons must go through that ultimately make it nearly impossible to vote again. There are a lot of things to take into account such as the date of the crime, the conviction and the nature of the crime. It adds more unnecessary time to grant them their right back. Even after all that, felons must fill out lengthy paperwork and the inconsistency the law is even if it is stated clearly. The lack of information plays an essential part in their understanding of whether they gain this fundamental right back. This must be changed in order to give past felons their best shot in voting in the future. In prison there should be classes where they can go and get the knowledge they need. After being released from prison as well, there should be a pamphlet or book that they can read to understand how to gain their voting rights or any other right back. They are still citizens of the United States and should not have to have that jeopardized or

Although some states believe that voting is a privilege that can be taken away after intolerable behavior, ex-criminals should be given voting rights because they are heavily impacted by government decisions, the vote is consequently taken away from low income, minority factions, and the US has a historical record of disenfranchising people regarding their race, color, previous servitude, and sex, so we have reason to question the disenfranchisement of other minorities.

By taking away their right to vote they are showing the offender and society that criminal behavior results in loss of freedom. JD Roger Clegg, President and General Counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity, argues that, “We don’t let children vote, for instance, or noncitizens, or the mentally incompetent. Why? Because we don’t trust them and their judgement…People who commit serious crimes have shown that they are not trustworthy” so why should they vote unless they’ve proven that they’ve turned over a new leaf. Others fear that felons will in some way vote so that previously illegal activity will now be

More studied than the effect of felon disenfranchisement on individuals is the effect on the wider community. These laws diminish the voice of the Black community in multiple ways. First, they generally dilute the power of the Black vote, particularly because the disenfranchised population of a city tends to be concentrated in relatively few neighborhoods. For example, a 1992 study “showed that 72% of all of New York State's prisoners came from only 7 of New York City's 55 community board districts,” and a 2003 study showed that “53% of Illinois prisoners released in 2001 returned to Chicago, and 34% of those releases were concentrated in 6 of 77 Chicago communities.” This is problematic because, as law professor Debra Parkes summarizes: “When the views of one group are systematically cut out of the political process, the public debate will be skewed.” When the disenfranchised are concentrated in few neighborhoods, the political power of those neighborhoods is reduced.