Pro Felon Enfranchisement

In The United States’ early years, American citizens brawled against the government for basic rights, including the right to vote. Blood, sweat, and tears found solace in American soil as the bitter fight against oppression came with a forceful, violent stride. When women fought for the right to vote in nineteen thirteen while marching down Pennsylvania avenue, fellow American citizens assaulted them while government officials stood idly by. When African Americans fought for the right to vote on a Sunday afternoon in Selma, Alabama, American police officers assaulted hundreds of them and blood stained the warm concrete. This brutal trend of protesting for voting privileges continued in the twentieth century until the government eventually eliminated

Fellow American citizens already copiously penalize felons in everyday life; they look down on them in society, restrict them from large amounts of jobs, and allow their past blunders to haunt them. Therefore, felons’ debt to society has not only been paid for by their prison sentence, but it has also been paid for by their tedious lifestyle. This leads to enfranchisement advocates pondering why The United States continues to punish felons and restrict them from the highest esteem of American culture, especially when they may have ended up with their doomed fate through a vacuous mistake. To further support their point that disenfranchisement fosters an overly severe punishment for felons, supporters of felon voting rights point out the fact that, “in 13 states a felony conviction can result in disenfranchisement, generally for life, even after an offender has completed his or her sentence” (Mauer 3). Champions of felon voting rights disagree with the continual reprimanding of felons after their sentence, as it exceeds their obligations to

Studies have shown that allowing felons to vote would “help ensure against recidivism and continued antisocial behavior” which would bloom democracy (Faceoff 6). Here, felon enfranchisement supporters argue that eliminating felons from voting leads to lower rates of participation in government. Without a large amount of voter participation, The United States defies its founding Declaration of Independence that aimed to give Americans an equal voice in politics, economy, and government. Therefore, barring felons from voting leads to the direct destruction of the democratic principles of The United States. Additionally, Brennan Center, a non-partisan law institute that focuses on issues of democracy, found that allowing felons to vote would lead to an expansion of democracy (Bernd 5). The United States prides itself on the principle that it serves as the model democracy for the world around it, but those who plead for the enfranchisement of felons do not see this principle being upheld. Instead, they see the United States directly discouraging participation in government and democratic ideals by ignoring millions of American citizens’ opinions on political and governmental decisions. Furthermore, this reduction of American democracy warrants a reduction in the rights of American citizens