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Should felons be allowed to vote? Should felons be allowed to vote?
Felons should be allowed to vote once they have served their sentence Felons should be allowed to vote once they have served their sentence
Felons should never be allowed to vote Felons should never be allowed to vote
Felons should be able to vote even while in prison Felons should be able to vote even while in prison
Some felons should retain their voting rights Some felons should retain their voting rights
We should leave this decision up to each state We should leave this decision up to each state
Felons have paid their debt to society Felons have paid their debt to society
No taxation without representation No taxation without representation
Voting is a privilege Voting is a privilege
Felons should not have a say in society Felons should not have a say in society
Felons have not proven that they should be allowed to vote Felons have not proven that they should be allowed to vote
The criminal justice system targets minorities The criminal justice system targets minorities
Felons are still citizens Felons are still citizens
Voting is a right Voting is a right
Felons who have not committed egregious crimes should be able to vote Felons who have not committed egregious crimes should be able to vote
States should make decisions about felony disenfranchisement independently States should make decisions about felony disenfranchisement independently
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Should felons be allowed to vote?
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Some felons should retain their voting rights

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Felons who have not committed egregious crimes should be able to vote

If a person has not grievously violated someone else's rights, they should retain their right to vote. Disenfranchising people for minor felonies is excessive.
Beto O'Rourke Andrew Yang
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The Argument

We should restore the voting rights of felons who have not committed egregious crimes. If a person has not seriously violated the rights of someone else, it is unnecessary to take away one of their basic rights. A person's punishment should fit their crime, so disenfranchising prisoners who have committed only minor felonies is excessive and harsh. Also, there is evidence that restoring felon voting rights could lead to less risk of re-imprisonment. According to the Sentencing Project, "among individuals who had been arrested previously, 27 percent of non-voters were rearrested, compared with 12 percent of voters."[1] If this is true, restoring felons' voting rights could alleviate the strain on public prisons and defense programs. This could also help felons re-adjust to society. By participating in our democracy, former prisoners will feel more accepted by their communities. They will have incentive to better themselves for society's sake, knowing that becoming more informed and contributing to the common good will help them to use their voting rights responsibly.

Counter arguments

Felons have proven that they do not deserve to vote. Even if they have not committed horrific crimes, felons have shown that they do not value the community's wellbeing. Since only people who value the common good should vote and felons have proven that they do not, they should be disenfranchised.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/felony-disenfranchisement-a-primer/
This page was last edited on Friday, 24 Jul 2020 at 01:23 UTC