Currently in America, voting rights for felons is a topic that does not have an equal consensus across states. In two states, Maine and Vermont, felons never lose their right to vote. While in others, they lose the right only when incarcerated and in the rest, this right is removed until completion of probation or pardon. Given that this country has the largest prison population, it is necessary for that percentage of the population to have a clear voice in making political decisions in order to have a fully functional democracy. Moreover, imprisonment serves as a punishment for crime(s) committed, but by punishing felons by taking away their right to vote, we are silencing them and stripping them of their rights to be a part of the society. …show more content…
Another point to consider, as presented in Michael Cholbi’s paper, A Felon’s Right To Vote, is that most crimes are not directly political acts, so it is does not make sense to give political punishments (Cholbi 546). Cholbi focuses in on the nature of crimes and how they are not political, and political punishment or disenfranchisement calls for a political act, therefore, crimes should not be punished through political disenfranchisement. Besides, for recidivism rates to decrease, inmates should feel as though they are and will be able to once again be a productive and active member of society, and being able to vote while in prison is a fundamental part of that being a reality for many people. By having voting rights whilst in prison, prisoners will have more motivation to be actively participating and knowledgeable in current affairs and politics. More importantly, there will be more opportunities for people to have a chance at equal opportunity because the electoral process will be more representative of the population as a whole. Another important factor to consider is that the prison population is disproportionately targeting people of color, especially African