Right To Vote In The United States

Felony disenfranchisement operates contrary to the goals of ensuring public safety and reducing reoffending by alienating from society those individuals that the criminal justice system is simultaneously attempting to reintegrate. Further, as the Committee has noted, state disenfranchisement laws are problematic not only due to the vast numbers of potential voters they affect, but also their disproportionate impact on racial minorities, particularly African Americans and Hispanics. Further, many of these laws extend punishment beyond the walls of the prison by continuing to disenfranchise individuals who are on probation, parole or have completed their full sentences. For this reason, it is particularly important that the Committee urge the United States to provide its rationale for continuing to deprive individuals with felony convictions of the right to vote after they are no longer

is one of only a few states that allow convicted felons to vote upon their release from prison

“We let ex-convicts marry, reproduce, buy beer, own property and drive. They don’t lose their freedom of religion, their right against self-incrimination… they can’t be trusted to help choose our leaders… If we thought criminals could never be reformed, we wouldn’t let them out of prison in the first place (Chapman, Steve).” Many believe that felons should be able to vote due to the fact that they served their time in prison and already received their consequence. When felons already served their time, they are told they have their “freedom”. Yet, they do not have the same rights they did before they were arrested. Felons have paid enough of a price by serving their assigned sentence which shouldn’t lead

There are many ex-felon’s in past years that could not vote as stated “ Because of America’s unique rules, some 3.5-4 million citizens as of 2000 and 2004 respectively are out of prison, but not allowed to vote” (Enten 6). Millions of ex-felon citizens have been denied their right to vote, which is wrong. The good and the bad makes up the society and the world. People who committed these felonies and have paid their dues back to the society, may not be the same person they were when committed the crime. If the individual has completed their sentence, along with probation and parole, which then means they are safe to return to society and resume back to their civilized life, their right to vote should come back with it.

Currently in the United States, only 12 states allow felons to vote after they have completed their time in prison and 2 states that actually allow felons to vote while in prison. While 19 states allow it after the sentence, parole, and probation and there are three states where felons are completely banned from voting for the rest of their lives. For those nineteen states that allow it after parole and probation, that is in essence still taking away their rights for most of their lives because depending on the crime probation can last as long as 35 years. Felon disenfranchisement creates a racial divide in the United States and can affect the

Felons are people who have been convicted of a felony. Felony is a crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death. In Maine and Vermont, felons never lose their right to vote, even while they are incarcerated. Vermont’s 1793 Constitution stipulates that residents can lose their right to vote only if convicted of voter fraud. In Florida, Lowa and Virginia, felons and ex-felons permanently lose their right to vote. Eleven states restrict voting even after a person has completed their prison sentence and finished probation or parole. Twenty states require completion of parole and probation before voting is allowed, and fourteen states allow felons to vote after they leave prison. In 1789, Kentucky became the first U.S. state to ban convicted criminals from voting. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that felon disenfranchisement is a violation of the Voting Rights Act in her May 4, 2006 dissenting opinion in Hayden v. Pataki. Ex-felons should be able to vote because they served their punishment and now they are out so they probably did not do anything serious like first-degree felony: murder, rape, kidnapping, arson, fraud. Second-degree felony: aggravated assault, felony assault, arson, manslaughter, possession of a controlled substance, child molestation.

If they are elected eligible to vote by the “jury” or whoever decides, their vote should be submitted and counted as every citizens should, because of constitutional rights. But for any other former inmate they should be allowed to cast a vote come voting day with little to no problems, because they are a free American who deserves a say in who runs office not that they are no longer an inmate.

When it comes to the issue of felon disenfranchisement—the deprivation of an individual's right to vote, it is imperative to remember the fact that felons are just as much citizens as their enfranchised counterparts. Similarly, it is pertinent to address the racial disparities within the prison system and how they affect the voices of minorities in America as well as how the lack of representation impacts the prisoners

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe recently gave an order that would restore voting rights to hundreds of thousands of felons prior to the upcoming general election, but the Supreme Court of Virginia is currently reviewing a case that could ruin McAuliffe’s order. A Republican attorney for the state argued that the order was an unconstitutional overreach, while the opposing side said that the order was a daring, but perfectly legal use of his power. Nearly a quarter of Virginia’s African American population is not allowed to vote due to convictions and Virginia is only one of eleven states that requires individual exemption to vote after felons completed their sentence. Over eleven thousand ex-convicts have registered to vote since McAuliffe

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.

The JHSC dissent that the denial of the right to vote does not serve a valid criminal law purpose. Denying prisoners to vote eliminates the approach to integration back into the community, and removes a sense of belonging. Even though having correctional law and policy in place to rehabilitate and reintegrate for prisoners, yet Section 51(e) gives the message that prisoners live in total subordination. The government contradicts with this message, and is most likely to send a message to inmate to undermine respect for the law and democracy. However, granting inmates their right to vote can contribute to their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Allowing inmates their right to vote promotes responsible citizenship and fosters the development of law-abiding

Felonies showed poor judgment and added to ex-felon ballots that will make many individuals not comfortable at an election. The election of a chief or president can be considered as being a problem when it allows careless felonies the right to vote. Some people say there should be a minimum that felonies should be allowed their rights stored and others believe that felonies that committed such serious crimes should not be allowed to vote. Shaw gave several reasons why felonies should not be allowed to vote. First, he stated that felonies should not be allowed to vote because there are multiple of consequences that they face that violate the rights of others. Second, he stated that they portray dishonesty and become irresponsible by committing horrible crimes

In my opinion an inmate does not deserve the right to vote. They should be denied to vote by all means during incarceration. Prisons are meant to establish punishment. And with that punishment the loss of freedom and most of the rights that freedom offers. In the United States two states out of our fifty states allow prisoners to vote while being in jail and that is Vermont and Maine. Why should they still allow someone inside prison to have the chance to pick who should govern us? Why should we trust a person who committed a crime to have a say in voting? They made the decision to lose their freedom when they made the choice to go to jail. I would not want someone I do not trust to decide on my health care, my rights, or laws. If minors have

This essay has given a brief history behind the debate of prisoners voting. It has examined and shown both sides of the debate and

In the United States, the right to vote is given to all citizen after they have reached the legal voting age of eighteen. What happens to that right if an individual has committed a crime that is punishable by law? That individual lose the right to vote. According to the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, states have the authority to deny voting rights to anyone who has committed a criminal act. Prisoners are not allowed to vote in any elections because they have lost their privileges. They have no voice in any political decision. The right to vote is what our nation is based upon. It makes up our nation as a democracy and should be given to all citizens. There are rules and regulations put in place that take away this