Preview

Argumentative Essay On Criminal Voting Rights

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
270 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Argumentative Essay On Criminal Voting Rights
03 Nov 2008
Essays on Criminal Voting Rights
In all but two states, those with criminal records on felony offenses usually have some kind of limitation on their voting rights, most applying only to those felons in prison or currently on parole but some banning all felons from voting for life. Criminal voting rights is a hotly debated topic and the fervor of these debates is just getting stronger as the years go by.

Criminal voting rights advocates argue that refusing to reinstate such voting rights after the criminal has been released from punishment amounts to taxation without representation (one of the primary reasons our forefathers rebelled against the King of England) and violates the Fifteenth Amendment’s requirement for equal treatment
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Felons Right to Vote
    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Felons Right to Vote

    The lines are long, it’s raining, it’s hot, or it may be cold, but exercising your right to vote is as important as all of your other civil rights. As Americans we have came a very long way when it comes to protecting our civil rights, and choosing the right candidate to protect our country. In 1964, three civil right activist set out to set up a voter’s registry for African Americans, but it was short lived because they were brutally murder by members of the Klu Klux Klan in Philadelphia, Mississippi((IMBD). This helped pave the road for African Americans to get out and register to vote. Not long ago, only one-third of African Americans were registered to vote, and two third of the voters were white, because African Americans was terrified of voting, or they chose not to. While voting is a right that we all have, if you have committed a crime and it has been classified as a felon, in most states you are restricted from voting. Since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, there has been a significant increase of voters at the polls. It has increased significantly in the African America and Hispanic populations and due to this, President Obama, an African American, was voted into office in 2008, and is now serving his second term. There have been many protests regarding felons voting and their civil rights being violated. While three great men lost their lives over such a significant cause in Mississippi, in order for a convicted felon to vote in Mississippi, his or her state representative must personally author a bill reenfranchising that individual. Both houses of the legislature must then pass the bill. Re-enfranchisement can also be granted directly by the governor. (“ProCon.org”). …

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Should Felons Vote Analysis
    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Should Felons Vote Analysis

    He uses such negative imagery to gain his reader’s trust and to try to easily persuade them that allowing felons to vote is not in the best interest of the public. However, he does not provide any substantial support or evidence about how it would affect people directly. He puts the labels on the people with the most heinous crimes to try to make it look like their input is going to have a negative effect on the country without providing the cause it would actually create. Not all convicted felons are violent offenders. Some people get felony convictions for less serious crimes such as DUI’s or could catch numerous other charges for being in the wrong place at the wrong time or going through a phase in life of drug addiction. While drug addiction is frowned upon people do recover. However, during their addictions addicts may make a mistake and find themselves in jail with a felony conviction that does not mean they should never be allowed to vote.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Should Felons Be Allowed To Vote
    • 211 Words
    • 1 Page

    Should Felons Be Allowed To Vote

    According to the law, everyone is entitled to vote, to be specific, the age of 18 and above. I believe felons should be allowed to vote because people make mistakes. There are many people who want to live right, they can’t because they are being kept down, the situation they’re in leads them to be in a bad place. For example, if a person commits theft, it’s most likely they’re poor. He/she steals because they are desperate for what they don’t have; basic needs or necessities of life. I believe felons should be allowed to vote, even if they are criminals, they deserve a second chance, it is not fair to take away their right to vote. This is as if like taking away their freedom of speech. Everyone has a voice and it should stand out, even if…

    • 211 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On The 14th Amendment Disenfranchisement
    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay On The 14th Amendment Disenfranchisement

    Dr. King was an African American who wanted each and every human being to be treated equal. He did not care what color you were because in his eyes color did not matter. Dr. King was born in Atlanta, Georgia and grew up attending Ebenezer Baptist Church. While at Ebenezer he served as a pastor from 1914-1931. King was a very educated man which shows by him graduating high school at the young age of fifteen. He later went on and graduated from Moore House College.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Immigration Pros And Cons For Immigrants
    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page

    Immigration Pros And Cons For Immigrants

    Voting is a important right in a society of democratic ideals. The right to vote would be a good amendment though firm regulations must first be placed. With criminals, voting should be allowed only after they have served time or paid their fines.…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Should Felons Be Allowed To Vote?
    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Should Felons Be Allowed To Vote?

    Voting is a duty that must be fulfilled by every citizen at some point in their lives. Voting gives the citizens of the U.S. a chance to express themselves through an anonymous voice. There are a few restrictions on voting, which include age, citizenship, and in some states weather you’re a convicted felon. I believe that it is unfair that some states make it so felons can’t vote. I really believe felons should be allowed to vote simply because everyone makes mistakes, and some felons have to rejoin society eventually.…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Should Felons Be Able To Vote?
    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Should Felons Be Able To Vote?

    The number of Americans who cannot vote because they have been convicted of a felon continues to rise. According to the National institute of justice about a quarter of felons are in prison, but the rest have completed their sentences and are on probation or parole. The only reason not to let them vote is to stigmatize them or to continue punishing them. Voting would help ex felons re-engage with society by showing them that they have equal importance in the society, for example ,it shows that their opinion is just as important as anyone else's. Also, this may not always be a good thing. Not all ex felons can be trusted and not all ex felons judgment and credibility can be trusted.…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Disenfranchisement Thesis
    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Disenfranchisement Thesis

    Should American citizens who were once incarcerated lose their right to vote? Currently across the nation American citizens who were once convicted of a felony has lost their right to vote, even after being released from prison, parole, probation, and paying all of their fines to the county or state in which they live. The term of this current condition is Felon disenfranchisement. Once being released back into society, Those who have been incarcerated are expected to pay due taxes and fees to the government.Why are the voting rights, which is part of the eight Amendment, taken away from an American citizen, after serving their sentence.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Argumentative Essay On Women's Suffrage
    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Argumentative Essay On Women's Suffrage

    In 2005, it was the 85th anniversary of the nineteenth Amendment; the right to vote for American women, whether black, or white. While Abigail Adams quoted “Remember the ladies,” on 1776 in her letter to her husband, John Adams, it was also the same year that the Declaration of Independence was written with the words “all men are created equal.” Women’s suffrage began during the early twentieth century and it was disrupted during the American Civil War between the North and the South in 1861 to1865.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Argumentative Essay On Jury Duty
    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Argumentative Essay On Jury Duty

    “Look up in the sky, it a bird, it a plane,” no it’s a drone delivering your Summons for Jury Duty. No, relax, Jury Summons are not being delivered by drones yet. However, just imagine the reaction of people if they were. Their first response would probably be to find an excuse to get out of it. But little do they know, our future depends on good and honest people providing service by making an informed decision. Serving as a juror is extremely important. For example, it is our civic duty, it gives the defendant a fair trial, it provides knowledge on how the court system operates, and it is one of the few constitutional obligations.…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Voter Id Laws
    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay On Voter Id Laws

    The voter ID laws refers to a form of identification that a voter is required to present before he participates in a voting process. An individual may be required to present a photo Id that will prove their identity such as a driver’s license, military Id, or state issued identification card. The voter id law is important because it ensures that the person is eligible to vote to ensure that the voting process is not marred by irregularities. It also helps to prevent individuals from voting more than once. In some cases, the voter id is considered irrelevant as some people do not see the essence of the photo id requirement. It is important to allow people to vote regardless of the form of identification that they present on the Election Day.…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Argumentative Essay: The First And Second Amendment
    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Argumentative Essay: The First And Second Amendment

    When the Constitution was written, it was not the intent of the authors to assure human rights to its citizenry, it was written in order to set up a federal government that would allow the United States to be a self-governing entity, and to put in place a system of government that would serve the citizens of the country in the way that they saw fit. After the ratification of the Constitution in 1787, “people soon began to notice that it did not list many of the personal liberties (individual rights) that they had come to believe were theirs.”(Cullop, 1999) At the behest of some states the first ten amendments were added to the Constitution that protected the personal rights of the citizens called the…

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Argumentative Essay: The Civil Rights Act
    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Argumentative Essay: The Civil Rights Act

    The Civil Rights act was passed on June 19, 1964. With over 736 hours of debate and 2,890 pages of Congressional record. It is safe to say that this bill, especially for its time was causing a lot of (think of good word here). Although John F. Kennedy was very vocal on equality, it was Lyndon B. Johnson’s words and signing of the bill that really got the wheels moving. Going on to television and stating, “We believe that all men are created equal, yet many are denied equal treatment. We believe that all men have certain unalienable rights, yet many Americans do not enjoy those rights… The reason are deeply imbedded in history and tradition and the nature of man. We can understand without rancor or hatred how this all happened. But it cannot continue.” (Social…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Argumentative Essay On Law Enforcement
    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Argumentative Essay On Law Enforcement

    Imagine coming home one day and having to be told that one of your loved ones has died for something as simple as a traffic offense or a fistfight with a friend. Of course these actions are not justified, but are they really deserving of being killed? Recently here in the USA there have been numerous deaths of young African American men by the police for very small offenses, and many say these deaths are fueled by racism. A great example of this is in Milwaukee in which 23 year-old Syville Smith was running from his car at a traffic stop and was shot in the chest and arm, eventually leading to death. This event much like others really brings up the question, how do recent events in Milwaukee impact the law enforcement’s reputation across the country and…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Convicted Felons Should Not Be Allowed to Vote
    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Convicted Felons Should Not Be Allowed to Vote

    This essay discusses my reflection on whether or not felons should have the right to vote. A felon is defined as a person who has been convicted of a felony, which is a crime punishable by death or a term in state or federal prison. A felony is a serious crime usually punishable by imprisonment or death. Convicted felons should not be allowed to vote. Many Americans were not allowed to vote these past elections. It wasn’t because they didn’t pay taxes or were mentally incompetent or underage. The reason why they can’t vote is because they are convicted felons. Once someone has committed a serious crime or felony, they have shown that they are not trustworthy enough to vote. Because they disobeyed the law, they should not have the obligation to vote. If one is sent to prison, they have agreed that most of their rights have been taken. Prison is meant to be a punishment and one of their punishments is their loss of freedom and democratic rights for their time of their sentence. Convicted felons have also demonstrated poor judgment and should not be trusted with a vote. The main point of a prison sentence to show the offender and society that criminal behavior results in loss of freedom and most of the rights that freedom has to offer. Therefore felons should not be allowed to vote. Although some people believe that felons should be allowed to vote at any circumstance but I believe that if they are felons they have already lost that opportunity because they have decided to make the choice to participate in criminal activities. If the felon is not willing to follow the law himself, then they should not demand the right to vote. In California, felons serving time in prison or county jail are denied their right to vote. According to The Sentencing Project, 5.3 million Americans were unable to vote in 2008 due to a felony conviction. Unfortunately, statistics show that this number is expected to rise to 6 million.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics