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Originally Posted by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_disenfranchisement
As of 2011, only two states, Kentucky and Virginia, continue to impose a lifelong denial of the right to vote to all citizens with a felony record, absent some extraordinary intervention by the Governor or state legislature.[15] However, in Kentucky, a felon's rights can now be restored after the completion of a restoration process to regain civil rights.[15] In 2007, Florida moved to restore voting rights to convicted felons. In March 2011, however, Republican Governor Rick Scott reversed the 2007 reforms, making Florida the state with the most punitive law in terms of disenfranchising citizens with past felony convictions.[16] In July 2005, Democratic Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack issued an executive order restoring the right to vote for all persons who have completed supervision.[15] On October 31, 2005, Iowa's Supreme Court upheld mass re-enfranchisement of convicted felons. Nine other states disenfranchise felons for various lengths of time following their conviction. Except Maine and Vermont, every state prohibits felons from voting while in prison.[15] Iowa Governor Terry Edward Branstad reversed Vilsack's executive order.[17]
As of 2010, all the various state felony disenfranchisement laws added together block an estimated 5.9 million Americans from voting, up from 1.2 million in 1976.[18]
Courts have interpreted the 2nd article and of 14th amendment to allow this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Constitution
Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
Should the fundamental right to vote be taken away permanently even after someone has been restored their right to freedom? Have felons given up all of their rights permanently once they commit their crimes? Should felons continue to be able to vote even while their liberty has been taken away and they are in prison?
Who says they can't? They sure were getting the word out in my city that felons could vote and the Dems were making sure they signed their forms to vote.
I've never understood this either. Don't know how it withstood a court challenge. I never agreed with the gun ban either. If the person is a violent felon then it should be part of their probation, otherwise it should not exist. The Feds have elevated so many crimes to felonies that it has become a joke.
I've never understood this either. Don't know how it withstood a court challenge. I never agreed with the gun ban either. If the person is a violent felon then it should be part of their probation, otherwise it should not exist. The Feds have elevated so many crimes to felonies that it has become a joke.
Yeah, and good luck getting ANY job with a felony on your record. And yet, people wonder why so many criminals reoffend.... A man's gotta eat. That bothers me a whole lot more than felons not being able to vote or own firearms.
Not all felons are necessarily career thugs either. Let's say you hit another car while driving and someone dies. You are sent away for a few years for involuntary manslaughter. That's a felony. Would you consider someone like that a career criminal? I wouldn't, but yet he will be unable to support himself upon doing his time. He may very well turn to selling drugs because no legitimate employer will hire him, all because of an unfortunate accident. That is beyond screwed up.
I think after a felon has completed their sentence and probation they should be able to vote.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Velvet Jones
I've never understood this either. Don't know how it withstood a court challenge. I never agreed with the gun ban either. If the person is a violent felon then it should be part of their probation, otherwise it should not exist. The Feds have elevated so many crimes to felonies that it has become a joke.
i think that a felon, after they have completed their sentence, including probation and any community service, as well as paid back any restitution that was ordered, should have a process by which they can get most of their rights back, including that of voting. however i think people convicted of crimes above a certain level should never get their second amendment rights back. federal law allows the various governments to suspend a convicted felons rights, but like i said, most of them should be restored ultimately.
it would be a conflict of interest for a felon to vote. they're too busy running for office.
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