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Should Felons Have The Right To Vote Essay

2205 Words9 Pages

The United States of America was built on slavery; captivating land, power, and money. The foundation that was used to create this country is what they call unlawful. If a U.S. citizen or Country does this it is criminal and justice is a necessity. According to Professor Christopher Uggen from University of Minnesota, America is one of many authoritarian nations that deny citizens, convicted of crimes, the right to vote. To disenfranchise someone is to deny them of their right to vote.
Felons should be granted the right to vote despite the crime that they committed. Disenfranchising felons of the right to vote is inviolable. English Philosopher John Locke “believed that all human beings had certain rights by nature (such as rights to life, liberty, and property), that government existed to protect those rights. (Feser)” Over 5 million convicted felons cannot vote. “The United States Constitution leaves matters of voter qualifications and disqualifications to the …show more content…

The Civil Rights Movement, 1964 and 1965 to be exact, where President Lyndon B. Johnson took his pen and added the presidential signature to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which would then, was the answer to the protest against racial disenfranchisement. Now here we are, 50 years down the road, the same issues remain. This goes into the old saying, “with every reaction on your part comes an overreaction from another.” When one law changed, so did another, making sentences harsher and more penalizing.
We cannot complain that our Black citizens are not getting out, voting, when they are directly affected by disenfranchisement in America. Felony disenfranchisement is more than just a burden, it is a perennial matter set in place to cause the regress of participation and rights to Black people in America. As we can see so far, it is statistically proven that 1 of every 13 Blacks unable to vote due to

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Without a serious punishment, these people are more likely to repeat their crimes. Heather Kramer and Otis Newton, who write for the Lakeside Publishing Group, believe that disenfranchisement is a necessary measure against convicted felons, as these criminals have failed to comply with the very document that provides them with many freedoms. This article hopes to attract the attention of the general

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1558 Words | 7 Pages

For example, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 came forth because of several movements like the Gay Rights Movement, Feminist Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement. These movements caused a lot of turbulence in the country because while one group thought we were moving forward, another group thought we were moving back. This caused chaos in the country, leading to backlash from our own government who should be for the people. Out of all the movements from the 1960s and 70s though, the Black Panther Party had the harshest response from the government. The Black Panther movement came up after the assassination of Malcolm X to fight against police brutality and defend the African American community in West Oakland, California.

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1358 Words | 6 Pages

The recommendation calls for civil rights advocates to put mass incarceration on their agenda similar in the ways civil rights advocate’s affirmative action agenda. In my opinion, America is at a turning point where mass incarceration is slowly fading away with state lawmakers trying to cut prison cost. Being labeled as a felon is a stigma that can and will follow individuals for the rest of their lives. However, there is a change in the atmosphere and how society view individuals with felony records. Opportunities are slowly becoming available such as jobs and education, allowing these individuals to reenter society.

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1015 Words | 5 Pages

United States citizens with a criminal background should be allowed to vote in their state of residency Ontreal Harris Professor Ross Composition II Reference Shaw, Jerry. “When Did Ex-Felons Lose Their Rights to Vote? A History.” Newsmax. Newsmax Media, Inc.

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389 Words | 2 Pages

Felon disenfranchisement is not only unconstitutional but also further institutionalizes racism. For example, in communities consisting of minorities like African Americans and Hispanics felony disenfranchisement unlawfully create a disadvantage for freedom of speech. As stated by Eric H. Holder, JD a US Attorney General “although well over a century has passed since post-Reconstruction …the impact of felony disenfranchisement on modern communities of color remains both disproportionate and unacceptable.” The act of taking away someone’s right to vote notably mirrors the act of forbidding African Americans to vote during the post-Reconstruction Era. Holder refers to the fact that taking away the right to vote essentially withdraws any opinions that minorities

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1612 Words | 7 Pages

The idea of taking away a criminal's right to vote has been around since ancient Greece and Rome.   A condition called "civil death" in Europe involved the forfeiture of property, the loss of the right to appear in court, and a prohibition on entering into contracts, as well as the loss of voting rights.  Civil death was brought to America by English colonists, but most features of it were eventually abolished, leaving only felon disenfranchisement intact in some parts of modern America. The United States is one of the world’s most unyielding nations when it comes to denying the right to vote to citizens convicted of serious crimes.

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1858 Words | 8 Pages

Should Ex-Felons be allowed to Vote after Their Time has been served? “To be shut out of the process is like a perpetual punishment and a slap in the face, saying you’re never going to be a citizen.” Desmond Meade, chairman of Floridians for Fair Democracy and former drug addict, stated this to describe his feelings when he received his degree in law but not his license to practice. Unfortunately, this situation occurs frequently in certain states around the country. Many people convicted of felonies, from one-time drug users to killers, are stripped of their voting rights permanently.

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1104 Words | 5 Pages

Millions of Americans cannot vote because of a felony conviction. People who have done nothing wrong and people who have committed minor crimes have been removed from voting rolls. The American penal system was based on the belief that status in society can be redeemed, and the standards should not be changed for felons. After a felon has served the sentenced prison time, he or she should be able to rejoin society. Felons should have the right to vote restored after being released from prison.

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439 Words | 2 Pages

Kit Tyler has always lived in Barbados luxury. Sadly, when her grandfather dies she must marry or run away to America. After finding a boat that takes her right to her aunt and uncles, she leaves. She expects America to be grand but is disappointed when she sees dreary towns and land. Luckily, she made two friends on her voyage over to Connecticut and they both visit the town often.

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376 Words | 2 Pages

They could see it as unjust. More likely, however, people would feel felons are not deserving of equal vote when they themselves have not committed any felonies. Additionally, managing to remove felony disenfranchisement won't solve any major issues. It will increase minority representation which is great except, these people are still labeled as convicted felons. The likelihood that they can gain a well paying job if any as an ex-convict is greatly decreased.

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955 Words | 4 Pages

Felony voting: Unjust or rightful justice As of 2008 over 5.3 million Americans were denied the right to vote due to felony disenfranchisement laws. The United states is among the most punitive nations in the world when it comes to denying the right to vote and this has consequently caused voting rights to be a controversial issue for years now. Disenfranchisement can be linked back to centuries ago, in western countries, felony disenfranchisement can be traced back to ancient greek and roman traditions and was commonly used as a part of the punishment that was put on those convicted of “infamous” crimes and was a part of their civil deaths. Although, many people like myself believe that the limits that are being put on felons

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1188 Words | 5 Pages

Felons Need a Voice "6.1 million People in the United States (2.5% of the nation's voting age) could not vote due to a felony conviction" (Uggen).That's a pretty big group of the population that isn’t allowed to vote just because they have a felony. 　 People against felons voting have rested on the fact that we put them in jail to keep them out of society, so we shouldn't let them vote. Or because they broke the law, meaning they gave up their right. And even more simply they’ve proven bad judgment; they shouldn’t be able to vote. But what about after they served their time, that’s the end of their crime.

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1408 Words | 6 Pages

The American Civil Liberties Union describes the laws surrounding felon disenfranchisement “patchwork laws.” Felon voting laws have been established at the state level, meaning that there are a wide array of policies in place to address the issue. Vermont and Maine are the only two states where everyone has the right to vote regardless of their criminal history. Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky meanwhile are the only 3 states that permanently strip felons of their voting rights. The other 45 states have more nuanced laws, that allow felons to vote after completing certain parts of their sentencing.

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481 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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479 Words | 2 Pages

Is it right for an individual who has committed a violent crime to be able participate in voting? A felon should not have the right to vote because, they have displayed dishonesty and irresponsibility by committing a serious crime. Felons have questionable judgment when making decisions. Felons who are still incarcerated are not in the right mindset to make decisions for the public’s good interest. Further, there is no way of telling whether the felon has in fact improved in character since serving time.

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