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Disenfranchisement Laws In America

714 Words3 Pages

In the first couple of centuries after the Europeans first came to the Americas and established colonies they also established a government. However, the United States government in the 17th century has numerous differences from the American government in the 21st century. American citizens have overcome numerous obstacles for gaining the right to vote. During the 20th century both women and African Americans gained the right to vote. There was even an amendment established in the United States Constitution, the fifteenth amendment, which prohibits state and federal governments from denying any citizen the right to vote despite their race, religion, or the state of being subjugated to a person more powerful. However, in the last decade the right to vote has been challenged by numerous policies established by the legislative changes and has caused many …show more content…

One example of how the right to vote has been taken away from American citizens is through the criminal justice system. The crime rate in America has been on the rise in the last decade, and research shows that there are nearly 5.8 million citizens in the United States that have been convicted of a felony; 4 million of those citizens with felonies are no longer in jail. Surprisingly, there are only two states, Maine and Vermont, that allow ex-felons to vote. Other states enforce disenfranchisement laws. Disenfranchisement laws are laws that strip one’s right to vote. These laws have had a negative impact on the results of several elections because of the high numbers of people restricted from exercising their right to vote. Many cases have been revealed that demonstrate that giving ex-felons the right to vote can cause different outcome

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