Preview

Should Felons Be Allowed To Vote?

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
559 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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. Felons are looked at by some as the bad people of society. Some people even believe that once they have messed up they don’t deserve a second chance. Although some felons commit crimes that are so awful that they don’t

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Felons Right to Vote

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages

    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
  • Good Essays

    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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I think a convicted felon should have the right to vote after they spend their sentence in prison and finish with parole. I will give you three reasons why they should. My first reason is they are citizens like us and they might not be guilty. My second reason is ever though there not out and free they do watch TV to see what’s going on. My final reason is if it was polices officer or a famous person they still are aloud. The next paragraph I will tell you about my first reason.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    felons are just like use

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Aren’t felons released when they are deemed rehabilitated? It seems that we prefer to let felons stay felons, rather than rejoining society.” Steven Gates a ex-felon who started his own business and family, one day was watching TV and his name and photo came up from a murder which Gates had pleaded guilty for accessory after the fact. Gates started losing clients after people watched the show, just because they felt like he was a killer”. We need to stop holding them on their past mistakes and start trying to allow them attempt a return to society instead of making them fell like outsides and ask them to repay a debt to a society from which they are largely excluded in.…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most felons who have bad judgment and are a threat to society do not get released from prison. The national institute of justice says The re arrest rate for ex felons within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. If we let felons vote and do simple yet important things like that they may not re offend. Once someone becomes a felon in some states they lose the right to vote and can never get it back even if they are done serving their sentence and done paying all of their…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Right To Vote Dbq

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The right to vote is fundamental in a democratic society, our forefathers intended it to be this way. The ability to choose the politicians who run our government is the very principle that this nation was founded on. During this election year, more and more people are being urged to vote. This raises the question of whether those people are exercising their civil liberty or taking advantage of a privilege. Though some may consider it the latter, voting is a guaranteed right because it is directly promised to us by the constitution and further reinforced by state law.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    fELONS VOTING RIGHTS

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nearly six million American citizens are unable to vote due to a past criminal conviction . More than 2 percent of the adult populationis banned from voting because of a felony conviction .(nytimes.com)…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Voting is a right we, as the United States, was granted. Not all countries have enough rights to vote. So another reason citizens should vote is because we are lucky enough to get to vote. Our country has gained many freedoms over…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many have heard the saying “if you do the crime, you must do the time”. This saying signifies that if one acts upon a certain action, he/she must live with the consequences of their actions. For the most part, prison is a consequence for offenders. However, ex-offenders are still suffering the consequences of their actions even after doing “the time”. Certain ex-felons upon release from prison have their voting rights taken away from them, depending on the state. Some may petition to get voting rights restored but many do not have the opportunity. Ex-felons spend years paying their debt to society only to come out and continue to be punished. Not being allowed to vote is not fair to the ex-felons, and their right should be restored.…

    • 2365 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why Is Voting Important

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages

    (Dictionary)Voting is a formal expression of opinion or choice, either positive or negative, made by an individual or a body of individuals. All American have the right to vote when they turn the age of 18 and are considered an adult. You only hear about voting really when it comes to the election for the President of the United States or a candidate is running for a seat in a government position. The American people believe that they should vote because they think it actually matters. Then there are those American who believe that voting is a complete waste of time. They think this way because once a candidate reaches prescribe number of electoral votes they pretty much have won the election no matter if there are states still left to vote.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion, felons should be allowed to vote after they have served their time because they have already paid their debt to society. With this put in place, it will make things all around better. Having rights makes felons feel like they are a contributing part of society, not a nuisance. Everyone makes mistakes, and we all deserve to make it right again. Though many may think otherwise, the right to vote should be restored to every convicted felon who truly deserves…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The USA has a higher percentage of its citizens behind bars than any other nation. Our crime rate is higher than that of any other advanced nation. Among the leading industrialized nations our murder rate is 3-1/2 times higher than the second place nation, Italy. The majority of persons released from prison in the US- estimates run as high as 70%- are convicted of new crimes within five years. These are statistics that are very real. My purpose is to research and determine if a convicted criminal can be rehabilitated. We will take this opportunity to further delve into the controversial world of rehabilitation for the “outcast dredges” of our society. You will read many ideas ranging from scholarly to just plain nutty, as to why the greatest nation on earth can have such a great crime problem. Unfortunately throughout my research I found that too few of these ideas are actually based on research, fact, or implementation. Too many are based on human emotions. Many of our decision-makers seem to believe that learning from the policies and experiences of other nations is somehow beneath us. All too often youth offenders are arrested and released too many times. Our sentencing polices are inconsistent, often too lenient for violent crimes and too harsh for non-violent crimes. Our public safety planning is too shortsighted. It would be better to spend more on intensive probation and scientifically based rehabilitation programs now, and less on more and bigger prisons tomorrow. We make “convicted felons” an untouchable class, locking them out of normal society and worthwhile employment, making continued crime all the more attractive. Instead of facilitating prisoner re-entry, we strain to make it difficult and almost impossible for some. More often than not no real intervention until criminality is firmly established and has become a pervasive lifestyle. Too many…

    • 2451 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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