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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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Felons should be allowed to vote once they have served their sentence

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No taxation without representation

Felons still have to pay taxes once they are gainfully employed, so they should be able to represent themselves through voting.
Sol Rodriguez
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The Argument

America was founded on the ideal of 'no taxation without representation'. After completing their sentences, many felons go on to be gainfully employed and pay taxes to the government. Since they are contributing to society, felons should be able to vote. It is unfair to make felons pay taxes to the government if they don't even have the ability to vote for their elected officials. They deserve to be represented by a government they help to fund.

Counter arguments

While 'no taxation without representation' is a good idea, it does not work in practice. We do not offer everyone who pays taxes the right to vote - for instance, illegal immigrants, people under 18 - and equally, not everyone who votes pays taxes. Taxation is not the litmus test for the right to vote.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Felons who have served their sentence and go on to become employed contribute to society by paying taxes. [P2] Because they pay taxes, they should be able to vote and be represented by their government.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] Paying taxes should not be used as the barometer for earning the right to vote.

References

In the Wild

This page was last edited on Friday, 24 Jul 2020 at 01:27 UTC

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