Count the Vote Voting is the basis of the democratic process. It is what makes democratic nations unique. It gives the public, the common man, the ability to have a say-so no matter how minute the in the laws, rules and regulations that impact a person’s life every day. In some circumstances the right to participate in the democratic process is stripped away for a lifetime. These include people convicted of felonies. Some citizens have been convicted in a court of law, served their respective amount of time and are still denied the ability to have their say in the governing of their nation. This is wrong. Voting is a right guaranteed by the 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution, regardless of race, color and previous servitude. Persons convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote and participate in the democratic process after they have served their sentenced time. Many people feel that citizens convicted of felonies give up their rights once they have been convicted. This is not the case. According to Voting in America, “Because disenfranchisement laws are found in state constitutions and suffrage statutes instead of the penal code, the loss of the vote is legally not part of an offender’s sentence: it is a ‘collateral …show more content…
These citizens, after serving their sentenced time should be allowed to voice their political opinions through the ballot and exercise rights granted to them. Voting, by these citizens, has many racial correlations and in many ways a racial barrier to the minority vote. Felon disenfranchisement is systematic in nature and is a tool used to sway elections and keep those who have power in power. Bringing awareness and making a strong effort to amend and modify laws regarding voting, by those who have been convicted as felons, will better our country and allow all people to exercise one of the biggest rights protected by the United States Constitution: