Felony Votes

[Mercury]

So here is something that I stumbled across and never really thought about.

Should felons who are currently imprisoned be allowed to vote? How about after they are released?



http://felonvoting.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=286



Is restricting voting from felons an attempt to control politics or rather a method of punishment?



What say you?

 

[The Man]

let em vote

 

[robdawg1]

No, they should not be allowed to vote from inside prizon...no one should be afforded that right! If you are incarcerated you lose all but the most basic of human rights, as you shouldnt get to receive priveledges the law abiding citizens get to enjoy. Once you are out, well....the debate ranges from there....

 

[The Man]

Isnt voting a right not a privilege?
Why not just keep going
Anyone that has a parking ticket
Behind on child support
Behind on taxes
Gets food stamps.
Voted wrong last year
Isnt smart enough to vote.
It is essentially filtering ...your a felon..cant vote

 

[robdawg1]

I am soley arguing based on those currently incarcerated....is that where you are?

 

[The Man]

IMO they should be allowed to vote...as long as they are a citizen of course

 

[The Man]

Its their country too right so they should have a say.
That would be like you not having a vote for a school mascot because you were late earlier that week

 

[robdawg1]

If I was suspended during the vote I couldnt vote could I?
If I am Incarcerated during an election then i can't vote!

 

[The Man]

If I was suspended during the vote I couldnt vote could I?
If I am Incarcerated during an election then i can't vote!

I didnt say you were suspended
\But back to basics...voting is right

 

[robdawg1]

I didnt say you were suspended
\But back to basics...voting is right

It made my point though...If i get a ticket or a court summons should i be held back for voting? Of course not. If you are in jail you lose freedoms, including freedom to go and do as you please, the right to privacy, the right protecting you from random searches and seizures, the right to free speech, etc. Losing the right to vote while incarcerated is par for the course. Voting is not an unalienable human right, it is a right to be enjoyed by the citizens of the US, providing they meet the proper criteria (i.e. age, jurisdiction, and in most states non-felony status). Being in jail would hinder your ability to go to your local precinct would it not?

 

[The Man]

It made my point though...If i get a ticket or a court summons should i be held back for voting? Of course not. If you are in jail you lose freedoms, including freedom to go and do as you please, the right to privacy, the right protecting you from random searches and seizures, the right to free speech, etc. Losing the right to vote while incarcerated is par for the course. Voting is not an unalienable human right, it is a right to be enjoyed by the citizens of the US, providing they meet the proper criteria (i.e. age, jurisdiction, and in most states non-felony status). Being in jail would hinder your ability to go to your local precinct would it not?

Freedoms and rights are not the same thing
While I agree with losing certain freedoms...rights are rights.

Being in jail would hinder your ability to go to your local precinct would it not?

Oh and what about those in jail awaiting trial

 

[robdawg1]

Freedoms and rights are not the same thing
While I agree with losing certain freedoms...rights are rights.

You lose rights in prison too...whats the argument?

Oh and what about those in jail awaiting trial

Thats a good point, but I believe they would be hindered as well. I don't know how i feel about that, because they are innocent until proven guilty, but it takes specific circumstances to get a judge to hold a suspect in jail until trial...they are subject to the same rights and freedoms being taken away as any other prisoner...

 

[The Man]

You lose rights in prison too...whats the argument?




Thats a good point, but I believe they would be hindered as well. I don't know how i feel about that, because they are innocent until proven guilty, but it takes specific circumstances to get a judge to hold a suspect in jail until trial...they are subject to the same rights and freedoms being taken away as any other prisoner...

You lose rights in prison too...whats the argument?

You stated jail

Thats a good point, but I believe they would be hindered as well. I don't know how i feel about that, because they are innocent until proven guilty

So rights are stripped before due process

 

[robdawg1]

You stated jail


So rights are stripped before due process

if you are incarcerated be it in prison or in jail it doesnt matter, you are incarcerated and cant vote!
Thats why I said I am torn about awaiting trial. I dont know about that one.

 

[The Man]

if you are incarcerated be it in prison or in jail it doesnt matter, you are incarcerated and cant vote!
Thats why I said I am torn about awaiting trial. I dont know about that one.

if you are incarcerated be it in prison or in jail it doesnt matter, you are incarcerated and cant vote!

We know this,,but voting is a right and should be granted

Thats why I said I am torn about awaiting trial. I dont know about that one

Nothing to be torn about unless you possibly support stripping rights before due process

 

[robdawg1]

voting is not an inalienable human basic right such as being treated in a medical emergency, or education, or the right not to be tortured. There is a big difference between human rights and rights granted to free citizens. If you are in jail, then you are no longer a free citizen and therefor not elligible for certain rights granted to the rest of us.

 

[Stone]

No, they should not be allowed to vote from inside prizon...no one should be afforded that right! If you are incarcerated you lose all but the most basic of human rights, as you shouldnt get to receive priveledges the law abiding citizens get to enjoy. Once you are out, well....the debate ranges from there....

Agreed.
IMO, not only has the the trust of civic duty been radically diminished, more importantly a bias exists directly from the fact of currently being incarcerated that overwhelms the concept of social order and the basic rights of others.
That bias existing from the very fact of being of a mentality to participate in anti-social behavior to start with.
In a practical sense, it would be self destructive of a society to allow an incarcerated felon to vote.


Just pointing out that while voting is called a 'right'......there have been restrictions and requirements on it since the inception of our nation:
http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html
and that the issue being discussed isn't of a Federal level, it's a State issue.

Once you are out, well....the debate ranges from there

Conceptually, once released, they're supposed to be rehabilitated.
Taking that angle, while in reality many probably aren't, the right to vote should be re-established. It's not a perfect world, but that seems fair.

 

[Stone]

....................

Oh and what about those in jail awaiting trial

That would be an 'Innocent till proven guilty issue'.
They wouldn't be a 'convicted felon'.
They should be able to vote.

 

[Jackass master]

If they are serving a sentence for a crime then no vote. Once released they should be able to vote. They should not be allowed to file tax returns and get bogus refunds while in prison but the IRS mails a lot of refunds to them.

 

[The Man]

Here is my take...lets say it became a crime to be baptist ...ok so now the baptists are locked up..ok so lets votes as to whether its no longer a crime to be baptist as we can see it wouldn't be fair to the baptists....being able to vote for someone that wanted to free the baptists would be impossible


We can apply that towards child support taxes etc...to vote for who we want to represent us as a society.
When we refuse felons to vote we are in effect creating two societies for people being able to vote.
Following Stones link I fond the following

1790 Only white male adult property-owners have the right to vote.

Read more: U.S. Voting Rights http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html#ixzz26H6Xa68E

I suppose they were the only ones "worthy" of voting
We have had to overcome other voting problems along the way as well.

To deny a felon the right to vote is a decision of morality...and would be no different that denying a vote based upon someone that is inter racially married{which at one time was a crime}..the morality is being a judgement of the people while the judged have no say...Sort of like slave days.
To deny someone a vote who is incarcerated for being behind on child support is just criminal.

A discrimination can go beyond color and sexual orientation it can also extend to people that have a record as shown here.
2 states do allow one to vote..others restore them after the obligation to the state..some deny voting over misdemeanors ..the laws vary greatly state by state.

Since the majority of those in prison are liberals one should say 'dont let them vote" based upon that alone..but even a wack head should have his say at the booth