Millions of Americans are barred from the polls because of a felony conviction. Voting is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of our democracy, yet millions of Americans have had their right to vote revoked for periods ranging from the time spent incarcerated to a lifetime. In 11 states, you can lose your right to vote for life. The ACLU is fighting to restore the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people, so that they, like all Americans, will be heard.
http://www.aclu.org/votingrights/exoffenders/index.html
Did you know this?
[question posted by myklj999]responses and comments:
I didn't know this and I find it rather disturbing. I did a quick check and I find that there was a similar challenge in the UK in 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4315348.stm It appears that, in the UK, prisoners currently serving a sentence do not, as a rule, earn the right to vote but that once they have served their time and are released, they can register to vote. The Strasbourg court ruled that denying prisoners the vote was an infringement of human rights. [owlwings]
yeh that must be the one i read about [mands61123]
as i just stated in the other discussion i was not aware of this i had read about a guy in the uk who was fighting the courts to be able to vote whilst still in prison but i thought that once you had served your sentence you regained your right to vote. I just did a search and they are estimating about 4 million people thats ridiculous they have done their time they should regain their rights. [mands61123]
The loss of voting rights is a standard punishment for committing a felony. If someone commits a felony they have to accept the punishment if caught. Obviously the felon in question, providing they are truly guilty, didn't consider losing the right to vote important enough to stay within the law. That said, if a convicted felon shows they are a law abiding member of society over a period of years after being released they should be allowed to vote. How long? I think that should be flexible. Based on the crime and circumstance surrounding the incident. [firewind451]
What about people who are on lifetime parole? Should they be allowed to vote? [firewind451]
Some states are more enlightened than others. Once a sentence is completed, a person can apply to have their civil rights, including the right to vote, restored. Florida is one of a few states in which the rednecks in charge have sort of bent that concept, so that, while the parole commission is required to inform inmates who are scheduled for release of the process for having their rights restored, documents manage to become lost in the mail almost all the time. Inmates' classification officers are required to counsel their charges about restoring their rights, too, but toward the end of a sentence, these officers are switched around so often that, once again, everything is lost. Only those whose families and friends include activists with the guts to fight really hard actually regain their rights, and that only happens once in a great while, too, as the red tape ties up the system again and again. There are too many inmates who have no clue it's even possible, and most can't handle the convoluted process at all. People who have no inmates in their families must join the fight for fairness to be brought into the picture. Those who have inmate friends or family members are ignored aspecial interest groups, who'd lie or cheat or anything else to help their loved ones!thumbdownangrycry [cobrateacher]
Thanks for the "best." But thank you more for having the guts to be honest about your feelings, and for feeling that everyone is human and deserves at least basic respect. I don't think I've ever met anyone who got through life without ever making a mistake. That includes jurors who convict the wrong person, who then loses all rights for a mistake. To prevent anyone from participating in the country is patently indecent! [cobrateacher]
no offense.. but i think that if someone going to be fool enough to commit a crime that is severe enough to revoke yer voting rights.. they deserve to lose them. [tessah]
thanx maggie.. its a fine compliment, and greatly appreciated happy [tessah]
As far as I know, Australia (with compulsory voting) doesn't have any such law, although perhaps people in jail are blocked. It certainly didn't stop me, but then my conviction was 40 years ago and besides, I have refused to vote (it only encourages the b*st*rds) since 1975, so I can't be sure. However, a conviction stops you from working in the public service, or as a teacher. But certainly, if you've done your time, I can see no reason why your vote should be blocked. As for those 11 states you mention, do they also stop your next seven generations as well? Lash [grandpa_lash]
Don't give 'em any ideas, okay?confused lol [myklj999]
You're really on a roll tonight with these discussions, I assume that you live in one of the 11 states? You can take my place because I sure as hell am not voting this time, I just don't aggree with either...... [heatherfeather80]
Hi myklj999, Well I never knew that at all, so politic in America is so different from ours but really think its wrong,I think everyone has the rights to vote, I hope the law will change. Tamara [tamarafireheart]
Wow I never knew or even thought about it. I don't see why ex-cons shouldn't be able to vote anymore. Really what's the difference, a lot of criminals that haven't been caught get to vote. And, lol most of the people we vote for are crooks.lol [WhatsHerName]
I'm sorry but that's the dumbest argument I've ever heard. That's like saying a lot of criminals that haven't been caught get to walk the streets so we should stop putting the ones that are caught in prison. [Taskr36]
I didn't know people would be banned from vote for a lifetime, in my country people that is in a jail can't vote but they can vote when they are out, I don't know the reason that they would have to banned someone for life to vote, maybe they are worry about people trading with their vote or I don't know, it seen really strange. [steve9737]
I did, I'm sure its the dems who want to sponsor this. [gitfiddleplayer]
Of course it is. [morethanamolehill]
No I didn't and don't think that people should have their voting rights taken away..whats voting have to do with making a mistake..we see Politicions make them everyday.. [Rosekitty]
I did know this, and I have tried to warn my son that he risks losing his right to participate in democratic process with his exploits and like most 18 year olds he doesn't care. Perhaps they could restore voting rights to those who have been "clean" for X number of years. Kind of like getting your license back after a prolonged suspension. I don't think that a stint in prison when you're young and stupid should preclude you from ever being able to vote again. [sndcain36]
Criminal activity leads to the loss of some basic rights. If you don't want to lose those rights, obey the freaking law. Think about some basic rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Well we know there are plenty of states that will end life for murderers, and I'm pretty sure that most would agree prison not only removes one's liberty, but certainly limits any pursuit of happiness. Now I don't think EVERY felony should lead to a loss of voting rights, but certainly the vast majority of them including all the violent crimes and sex crimes. I'm pretty sure most people already know how the ACLU loves to fight for the most disgusting criminals on our planet. This is the group that considers pedophilia an alternative lifestyle and provides lawyers for the child molesters in NAMBLA. [Taskr36]
Like others I did not know this. Seems to me if you have served your time your rights should be the same as any other citizen. It does bring a story to mind though that you may find amusing...My oldest son was in jail once in a different state than where he resided and he got called for jury duty. I mailed him his papers that had come to the house and everyone at the jail got a real kick out of it.LOL Have a good day! [fasttalker]
That is a funny story, I hope he was excused!=D [morethanamolehill]
it is good you have the right of voting, but we have not ,so poor. [cathy_human]
I did know this and I always thought it was so wrong. It really doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Once a person has done their time it should be over.Taking away someones right to vote does not fit any crime that I can think of off the top of my head...maybe taking a shot at the prez? I really would love to see some people voted in that can really turn things around for us. They certainly would have their work cut out for them to be sure. [sid556]
I did not know this and I find it disturbing. I can understand someone in prison not being able to vote while they are serving their sentence but once they are out that right should be restored. This is an abuse of human right. I checked our Australian rules for voting eligibility and we do allow ex-cons to vote. In fact they can vote while they are in prison as long as their sentence is 3 years or less. I think it is totally wrong to revoke their right to vote. There are people in Australia who complain that voting is compulsory and yet they would be outraged if their right to vote was taken away for any reason. Come to think of it I don't think you can even get a visa to visit America if you have ever had a conviction so they seem quite paranoid about it. [sharra1]
I had just pushed submit when the following thought struck me. America is extremely hypocritical to punish their own citizens in this way and to prevent foreigners from visiting their country when they have a conviction against their name and yet their intelligence agencies sponsor some of the most terrible criminals in the world. The CIA sponsored Saddam Hussein originally, before someone decided they needed to go to war against him. They are also rumored to have smuggled criminals into the country as payment for services rendered. But these guys were only guilty of war crimes after all maybe the government think that crimes like that are not as bad as some poor kid caught with a bit of dope.rolleyes [sharra1]
Hi Myklj I think every free person should be able to vote, although it would give the whole democratic system a bodyblow. If you've done your time n paid your dues then the right to vote should be available. [jimbomuso]
Yes. I am aware of this and have been following it for about a year. I have a friend that is a convicted felon of a crime that probably shouldn't even be considered a felon. He just found out earlier in the year that there were steps he could take to restore his rights. Since then, he started volunteering at his local campaign office and has been going door to door to register people to vote and making sure anyone he runs into that has served their time is aware that they can have their rights restored. Restoring voting rights of convicted felons varies widely from state to state. I think voting rights should be uniform across the country. [cbreeze]
Is that if you have any criminal record at all then? What if someone had been convicted of shoplifting or possession of something like cannabis once in their life and never done anything "wrong" ever again, are they still barred from voting? Under the current laws, I mean... I don't know what to say, really. So you can't vote then, at the minute? I don't like it thumbdown I know little about it (well, pretty much just what you've said) but if the ACLU are successful I think it'll change the whole demographic of "A New America"! Everyone should have the right to vote - this is a punishment that in no way fits the crime! angry Roll on true democracy... ninja [louise99]
What I mean is, who decides where the line is that means someone's not just committed a small crime? Is it flexible or are there rigid rules stating what a judge should consider to be a serious crime? [louise99]
Didn't this use to be the case in all states? That one lost the right to vote if one was convicted of a felony? That's as it should be, in my opinion. [kenzie45230]
Yes, I knew. I'm inclined to think that once you've done your time, that should be it, you're reinstated as a human being with voting rights and so on. I wonder what the reason behind this is, would be interesting to research. [dawnald]
If they paid their debt to society what's the deal of imposing this sometimes lifetime sentence/restriction? I'd rather see those who should be kept away from society (serial predators, and those who murder for sport) kept away from society, then their voting isn't an issue anyway! [flowerchilde]
I don't think ALL felons should be allowed to vote, the nature of the crime needs to be taken into consideration. However, there are some criminals who I think never should be let out and should be executed so giving them the power to vote is just insane. Some people got felony raps for relatively minor infractions,and they should have some method of recourse, but others truly do not deserve ANY rights at all, such as child murderers and rapists. IMHO, voting is not a right so much as it is a privilege, and when you knowingly engage in criminal acts against the society you live in, you forfeit those privileges. If voting were so important to these people, maybe they should have thought about that BEFORE committing the crimes. A person's third drunk driving offense is a felony where I live, and it should be, the idiot should have smartened up after the first arrest, repeating the crime is as stupid as it is dangerous. [MSV1313]
So if someone murdered one of your family members, raped your sister, or robbed your parents at gunpoint, you would want him/her to have rights? And to decide on who is going to run the country or -- better yet -- elect the legislators who make our laws? They already get free classes, cable TV, and other amenities. I don't want them making decisions about who's running things. Sorry..... [fec139]
Do you believe that felons should have the chance to vote whilst they are still in prison? Do you think they should retain the same rights as on the outside or have they sacrificed their rights through their misdemeanors? Or are you only concerned with whether they regain their rights after they have served their time? (I wasn't clear on what your standpoint was...) I would say that I don't see any problem with suspending rights to vote for the length of their incarceration, but it does seem a little harsh that those rights are not restored - after all if you want your felon to reform, he has to feel part of society doesn't he? [livewyre]
I am talking about after their sentence is served. [myklj999]
while i think that everyone should have a right to vote i understand where the government is coming from. some of these convicts violated someone elses rights. they raped someone, stole, murdered.....so why should they have any right?? i think that's how the government sees them. [medney1988]
That's partly it, but mainly it's a PREVENTATIVE. If one is aware that one may lose one's right to vote & STILL commits the felony, then, hey, one _deserves_ to lose it. Some do, & OTHERS wisely remain crimeless because they VALUE that right. Committing a crime of such magnitude as grand theft or murder says that one doesn't VALUE that right, or respect one's fellows. I say, no vote forever if one THROWS it away that way. Maggiepie [Maggiepie]
Yes I knew about this law. Years ago while I was still in high school a friend of mine's brother was convicted of felony drug dealing. He right to vote was taken away for life. It is hard for me to really have a strong opinion about this issue. If someone commits a felony when they are young like around the age of 16 not quite an adult then they may never get the chance to vote and I do feel that is a bit unjust because they are young and may not fully understand the full ramifications of their crime. I do feel if someone has done a crime which warrants denial of their voting right then the length of time for denial should be based on a case by case basis. Like if the person after getting out kept themselves out of trouble, proved to have turned their life around then they should be allowed to demonstrate they have become responsible and should have their right to vote restored. I don't think there should a blanket you get the right back once you get out for every felony, I think it should be based on the severity of the felony committed. [barrudaki]
I knew it. In fact, there was another discussion about this recently. I say never let them vote again. They KNEW this going in, & they don't deserve to vote again. I'm speaking here of FELONS, remember, not your average minor crimes lawbreaker. As for the ACLU, I want their grubby paws OFF our freedoms. They've done more to mess up America than almost any other single organization! Maggiepie [Maggiepie]
Why am I a waste of your time? Because we disagreed in a previous discussion I had? I was simply stating that there are many crimes that are considered felonies that mark a person for life as a FELON that should be taken into account on the blanket statement you made about felons. If I'm a "waste of time" then why did you bother coming to my discussion? If I stayed mad at every person who I had a disagreement with I'd probably be mad at the whole world before too long. Chill a bit; I ain't still mad at you, so hopefully you'll let it go sometime and then we can debate instead of argue. [myklj999]
It's not fair that REFORMED ex-convicts should have their full citizen status revoked because of a bad choice they made. If I'm correct and the way the economy is going, a majority of Americans will have done some jail time for drunk driving, drug use or petty theft crimes and the entire democratic process will end up being restructured into a semi-communistic, ruled government. In THE MEAN TIME YOU HAVE THE GREAT STATE OF FLORIDA STEALING VOTES to have Captain Coo Coo Bananas win an election so he can make the White House his personal oil profit playground. Hypocrisy I tells ya! [mrghill]
They should have voting booths in all prisons and when they get out they should each be given a handgun and a hundred bucks. Voter Registration can be handled at Walgreen's since there is one on every corner. No one should have to show ID to vote, your word is enough. And we should put a line of booths at the border so that Mexicans don't actually have to come in to the country to vote. Canadians and Europeans can vote by absentee. And everyone else by the internet. Each party counts their own votes and the winner is decided by an arm wrestling match. OK seriously. In certain cases, Voting rights should be restored to felons but it should be decided by a judge on a case by case basis and only after a certain probationary period, depending on the severity of the crime. And it's not guaranteed they would be restored. If you get a dishonorable discharge from the military, You cannot vote, own a handgun Or own property. Personally, I don't think that voting is a "right" anyway. It's a privilege. It should be taken seriously. There is already too much "leeway"...(cough)ACORN(cough) [morethanamolehill]
Actually, I just checked wikipedia and all it says is that you can't own a firearm. It's been 25 years since I was in BootCamp so things may have changed. Or Wiki may be daft, who knows? that was a tosser anyway. The point is I think some felons should maybe get their rights back but I am definitely against a blanket policy of returning voters rights to felons just because they are out of prison. If they make the effort, keep clean and go thru the process then I would not be against it. And face it most felons wouldn't bother to vote even if they could. But this is about voter fraud anyway. If a felon gets his rights and doesn't want to vote he can sell it to ACORN. THAT'S what this is about. [morethanamolehill]
Well I think it would depend on the crime itself . If it was something like driving without a license or something stupid like that , no I do not think you should loose your right to vote , yet like others have mentioned if you raped and slaughtered or something horrible , no I do not think you should have any right as a human being at all period. Maybe a if the government would set up classes for felons or a program that if the said felons would take and adhere to , then they could get their right to vote back . This to me would be fair and make a lot of sense . It is the same concept as the people that have anger management issues. eh just a thought. [blackcatbetty]
I knew that many states take that right away from convicts. I agree that it's simply wrong to do. Those people have committed no crimes against the election process such as voter fraud or ballot stuffing or any of the things we've heard about over the past eight years, yet they are denied what is considered a God-given right. I totally disagree with that. When they are paroled, they are to be represented just like anyone else in this country by elected officials. If they cannot vote, then they have no say in who represents them. Absolute injustice. Now, in Utah (of all places), a suit was filed back in the '80s on behalf of inmates at the state penitentiary and they won the right to vote even from their cells. My ex-husband was paroled in 1981 and was allowed to vote. I was surprised when I learned that most states prevent it. It's just wrong. Divorcing him 19 years ago hasn't changed my perspective on that. [jerzgirl]
Mykl - I thought you might be interested in this article. http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2008/10/01-1 [jerzgirl]