Pros And Cons For Felons To Vote

On November 6th, millions of people abide by their civic duty and head out to go vote. But about "5.3 million other Americans "(Holding) do not have the ability to vote. Not because they are homebound, or mentally unable to vote. But instead, the 5.3 million Americans are actually convicted felons. In a seemingly amalgamate legal system, Felons, as individuals who have lost their responsibility to carry out societies civic duties; by committing a crime, felons have agreed to give up their right to vote for the future of America. Ultimately, felons' rights lie in the hands of the states, many southern states acknowledge the severity of allowing felons to vote, while more democratic states allow their felons to run free; giving them the ability

In this Election, Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore fiercely fought for the presidential position. This presidential campaign was one of the closest races in history with Bush receiving 271 electoral votes, and Gore receiving 266 electoral votes. But more importantly, during this presidential race, countless democratic felons did not have the opportunity to vote and possibly swing the ballot back to the left. (Holdings). This presidential election brought to question; How accurate is the voting ballots? In Reynolds Holding article Why Can't Felons Vote, Holdings discusses the laws that penetrate the effectiveness of felon voting rights and why felons have suffered enough already. He writes "So here's the thing: Felons who are out of prison have largely served the punishment prescribed by the judicial system. Shouldn't that be enough?" In the legal system, when a felon is convicted of a crime they are given a punishment, whether it be a fine or prison time. After they serve their sentence many felons are given back their right to vote. But, these felons have no opportunity to vote while in prison, Holdings writes "We should be finding ways to get more voters to the polls, not looking for excuses to keep them away. So instead of prohibiting felons from voting, let's require them to do it. That way, they will continue to repay their debt to society, long after they walk out of prison." By giving felons an opportunity to vote; the voter turnout would increase along with voting accuracy. In addition, Levine writes "Should a certain slice of society not vote or be deprived of the opportunity to cast a ballot, the democratic governing structure of society fails." Through the use of a fallacy, Levine idolizes how the government is failing felons, and that depriving felons of the right to vote only diminishes the authority and accuracy of the voting