The Consequences Of Voting Rights

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

Felons need voting rights too! Felons and voting rights are starting to become a big deal. Felons are wanting the right to vote, but some states will not give them that right. All states should let felons vote depending on how severe their crime was. It is not right to deny someone the right to vote. There are multiple reasons for why they shouldn't vote, but there are also some good reasons or why they should be able to vote. Felons deserve the right to vote for multiple reasons.

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.

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.

Felon disenfranchisement conflicts with goals of rehabilitating felons through the existent criminal justice systems. Currently, 12 states entirely restrict ex-felons from voting. According to the laws in these

vote. Four states, California, Colorado, Connecticut, and New York, do not allow prisoners and parolees to vote, but people with any criminal past, even those on probation, can vote. Thirteen states, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Utah, only disenfranchise felons while they are in prison. Everyone else, including felons, parolees, and those on probation are allowed to vote. In two states, New Hampshire and Maine, everyone has a right to vote, including prisoners.

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.

Felons should have every right to vote, although they have broke the law the goal for them is to become a law abiding citizen when they leave jail. It is unjust to take away their freedom of speech because of their past. There are many felons who did not comment violent crimes .Many people see felon as a threat to society but do not understand the process they have to go through to start their lives over after leaving jail. Society makes it very hard for felons to receive employment.

In Florida alone, more than 750,000 persons who have completed their sentences are ineligible to vote” (King, 2009). Those states who choose not to allow felons to vote feel as though they do not have the right to vote, because they have committed felony acts. Having that many people who can’t vote harms the U.S. due to the fact that they are unable to voice their opinion or input by voting.

There are currently only 2 states in the United states of America that has no restrictions on felon voting rights- Maine and Vermont- and there are ten states, which includes Florida, Arizona, and Delaware to name a few that does otherwise. A crime as little as theft can result to a person having one less human right, which is the ability to vote. However, these laws are unjust; felon disenfranchisement violates the eighth amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Some felons serve for a great amount of time that when they come back to the society a lot has changed to the extent that they would be clueless on how to go about in it, such that new policies and norms are being enforced. Voting can also be a helpful coping tool for felons.

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

The United States currently prohibits felons from voting. This practice is unwarranted as it prevents millions of Americans who’ve been convicted for something as widespread as possessing marijuana and who’ve already served their time from voting, and furthermore, it markedly changes the electorate and contributes to minorities not being well represented. Taking these considerations into account, the United States should allow felons to vote after they have served their time.

In the state of Texas, the only people who are allowed felony disenfranchisement are the people who have completed their term of incarceration or parole and probation sentence and are considered “ex-felons”. People who are still serving their sentence do not have the privilege to vote, which includes all persons currently in jail, on probation, or released on parole. Although ex-felons are granted the right to vote once finished with their sentence, there are still some obstacles to receiving those rights which still holds a major impact on how many people actually vote within the state. Things such as the process complications, miscommunication between important parties who play a role in making sure ex-felons receive their rights, and simply

Do you think people who have been convicted of a crime should be allowed to vote? Felon voting has constantly been a controversial topic discussed over the years in our society. Some believe that “voting is not a privilege, and is a fundamental right” like Waverly Jones, Jr. While others, shown by the editorial from the Daily Leader, believe “that it is only a right given to law-abiding citizens.” Allowing felons to vote is not in our country’s best interest.

One cannot discuss this topic without given the definition of felon and the laws impose on felony act. Who is a felon? A felon is someone who has been convicted of serious or violence crimes, such as murder, rape, robbery, and burglary and as a result is punishable more than one year. The constitution of U.S.A from the voting act prevents someone who has been convicted of felony to participate in an election; however this enactment is as a result of racial politics (Preuhs R.R). According to Robert this policy disproportionately affect minority population on blacks and Latino citizens, and this article is supported with enough evidence that would convince any reader.