There are ten states where felons may permanently lose their rights to vote. Some may say that this is fair for criminals, while others may say that it is against the Constitution. People say that taking away a felons right to vote is in violation of the 8th amendment, which is, “ Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” There are only two states where felon voting laws are unrestricted. This means that convicted felons may vote in these states by absentee ballot in prison.
Across America an estimated 6.1 million people are denied the right to vote because of previous felony convictions. There is a large amount of people that think felons who have completed their sentence (incarceration, probation, and parole) should be able to vote but there are still many others that think they shouldn’t. All states have different laws about this issue. “The fact that prisoners lose many freedoms does not imply they should lose all their civil rights.” (ProCon.org).
This also has created a racial divide between voting privileges. According to the Sentencing Project, more than two million African Americans (close to 8 percent) have lost their voting privileges compared to the under two percent of non-African Americans. Ex-felons are denied one of the basic rights guaranteed to citizens of the United States of America. If anything they should be able to vote so they could be reintroduced to society.
Ex-felons deserve a second chance. Once they pay their time and debt to society after leaving prison they deserve to start over. Voting rights play a major role in readjusting and helping them along the way. Being able to vote would help them understand and respect the law knowing that they have this right. After ex-felons go through an entire process to get back into their lives after prison they become part of a society where people have the right to vote. It only makes sense they should be able to as well.
Now all we can hope for is by the next election there is a new law in place giving all ex-felons a right to vote. Whether it be after their sentence, probation, parole, etc. “Voting is the most precious right of every citizen, and we have a moral obligation to ensure the integrity of our voting process.” Hillary Clinton
yes, you are correct, all citizens should be able to vote, even if they are felons, like you said the 8th amendment stated that all citizens could vote. which i think that this is correct, and it is correct. like you said, hopefully by the next election, we can all vote, all citizens.
I believe all citizens should be able to vote,even if they are felons. I believe they should be able to vote because in the 8th amendment it states that all citizens should be able to vote. I hope that during the next election all citizens will be able to vote felons, or not.