Prisoners having the right to vote has been a controversial topic for quite some time. Some people argue that once a person is convicted of a crime, they are stripped of their rights that they risked when committing the crime. Others argue that while people may be in jail, they are still United States citizens and for the most part are mentally capable and have a right to vote for the candidate of their choice.
This post is meant to show both sides of the argument and for you, the reader, to share your opinions as more informed citizens.
We will first look at the idea that prisoners should not be granted the right to vote. Spiked Online states that in 2018 convicted felons who served their time were granted their right to vote in Florida, before this decision felons who served their sentence were barred from voting. They state that being able to vote is a constitutional right and when you are incarcerated you are cut out from civic engagement, you do not pay taxes or have healthcare, as well as not being able to vote. When you are released from prison, your rights are restored since you have, “served your time”. In a Harris-Hill survey, it is shown that 69% of registered voters do not believe that prisoners should keep their voting rights. A website, The Perspective, brought up the idea that a big part of this problem is the trust of convicted felons. Minors and citizens who are considered, “mentally incompetent” are not trusted to vote, why should citizens put their trust in criminals to vote.
To flip this idea, many people, especially presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, believes that voting is an American right and even though prisoners have committed crimes, they are still citizens. Elizabeth Warren is also a front runner with this idea, stating on The New York Times that, “Once someone pays their debt to society, they’re out there expected to pay taxes, expected to abide by the law, they’re expected to support themselves and their families, I think that means they’ve got a right to vote.” In a poll done in March 2018 by HuffPost and YouGov, nearly two-thirds of respondents agree that former felons have the right to vote. In fact, California allows voting for those in country jail, with limited exceptions. Maine and Vermont are two states that already let prisoners vote, an idea supported by Bernie Sanders. He believes that by “living in American society, you have a right to vote.” - New York Times. According to Medium, “incarceration is used for two things: to keep society safe by preventing harm caused by criminals and to provide an opportunity for rehabilitation.” Politico Magazine supports this idea by stating, “the vast majority of states prisoners cannot vote, yet they’re often counted in the population for the legislative district of their prison, the main factor that determines a state’s number of representatives and its presidential electoral votes.” Even though prisoners are considered to be, “sent away from society” they are technically still voting even if they are counted as the total population which in turn impacts the electoral college. This impact can be shown in the 2016 Presidential Election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Whatever your opinion is, it is important to be informed so that you can make the decision that you agree with or impacts you the most.