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Why Can't Prisoners Vote?

calamity

calamity

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As noted below, this did not pass, but one has to ask. Why?



Ok, Fred broke a law and now sits in jail. So what? He should still be allowed to vote, IMO. Why do we accept disenfranchising those who are incarcerated?

BTW, we actually double down on this injustice by transporting the prisoner, often a person of color, out of his neighborhood to be counted in the census where he is incarcerated, giving predominantly white areas of the country higher representation than they justly deserve.

If you count them, you should let them vote.
 
I've always thought that once one was finished with all punishment, that the full of their rights should be recognized again. But this is for people currently incarcerated? I mean, we disenfranchise them a hell of a lot more than just by infringing on their right to vote.
 
It seems a fitting punishment for some that demonstrate an unwillingness to participate in civil society.
 
Ikari said:
I've always thought that once one was finished with all punishment, that the full of their rights should be recognized again. But this is for people currently incarcerated? I mean, we disenfranchise them a hell of a lot more than just by infringing on their right to vote.
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Yeah, I get that and I agree with locking them up. I just don't get counting them and denying them their vote. I see some states let prisoners vote, btw.

www.themarshallproject.org

In Just Two States, All Prisoners Can Vote. Here's Why Few Do.

In Maine and Vermont, low literacy rates and little access to information means many inmates don’t exercise their right to cast ballots.
www.themarshallproject.org www.themarshallproject.org
Why are Vermont and Maine outliers? They share several characteristics that make voting by prisoners less controversial. Incarcerated people can only vote by absentee ballot in the place where they last lived. They are not counted as residents of the town that houses a prison, which means their votes can’t sway local elections if they vote as a bloc. And unlike many states, the majority of prisoners in Maine and Vermont are white, which defuses the racial dimensions of felony disenfranchisement laws.
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Dayton3 said:
People who choose the violate the laws of society should have no part in deciding how its run.

Ever.
Click to expand...

Meantime, this guy is a litter bug, speeds, parks in violation of town ordinances, doesn't pick up after his dog...
 
calamity said:
As noted below, this did not pass, but one has to ask. Why?



Ok, Fred broke a law and now sits in jail. So what? He should still be allowed to vote, IMO. Why do we accept disenfranchising those who are incarcerated?

BTW, we actually double down on this injustice by transporting the prisoner, often a person of color, out of his neighborhood to be counted in the census where he is incarcerated, giving predominantly white areas of the country higher representation than they justly deserve.

If you count them, you should let them vote.
Click to expand...

Because there is logic in removing -- for a time -- the ability to have a say in how society is run from someone who has been proven to harm that society. Once found guilty of a crime, one can be deprived of liberty, property, and -- in the most extreme cases -- one's life. With that well-established precedent, what is so out-of-bounds about also losing the right to vote?
 
calamity said:
But, why strip voting rights at all?
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Part of the punishment for breaking laws and committing a felony.

- Why should a convicted felon who has not paid society back keep the privilege of voting while serving time?
- Maybe the people who committed a felon don't care about the right to vote. They didn't care about the law they broke. :ROFLMAO:
 
calamity said:
As noted below, this did not pass, but one has to ask. Why?



Ok, Fred broke a law and now sits in jail. So what? He should still be allowed to vote, IMO. Why do we accept disenfranchising those who are incarcerated?

BTW, we actually double down on this injustice by transporting the prisoner, often a person of color, out of his neighborhood to be counted in the census where he is incarcerated, giving predominantly white areas of the country higher representation than they justly deserve.

If you count them, you should let them vote.
Click to expand...

Voting is a right for all American citizens and not a privilege based on good behavior so anyone in jail or prison should be able to vote. Theey have their religious rights in prison, which are a 24-7-365 idea, so the idea that they cannot vote by absentee ballot twice a year doesn't pass the laugh test.
 
Don't you libs have enough votes with the illegal aliens? Convicts too now? What's next, farm animals?
 
Grandpappy said:
Don't you libs have enough votes with the illegal aliens? Convicts too now? What's next, farm animals?
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House pets. They're already trained to vote correctly.
 
calamity said:
Yeah, I get that and I agree with locking them up. I just don't get counting them and denying them their vote. I see some states let prisoners vote, btw.

www.themarshallproject.org

In Just Two States, All Prisoners Can Vote. Here's Why Few Do.

In Maine and Vermont, low literacy rates and little access to information means many inmates don’t exercise their right to cast ballots.
www.themarshallproject.org www.themarshallproject.org
Click to expand...
Counting them as in terms of the Census? I have thought about that too, I'm not sure they should be counted on the Census for decisions that go towards States getting money and that. Prisoners aren't there by choice.
 
Grandpappy said:
Don't you libs have enough votes with the illegal aliens? Convicts too now? What's next, farm animals?
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Illegal aliens aren't voting in mass. That's just a disinformation line.
 
Lisa said:
Voting is a right for all American citizens and not a privilege based on good behavior so anyone in jail or prison should be able to vote. Theey have their religious rights in prison, which are a 24-7-365 idea, so the idea that they cannot vote by absentee ballot twice a year doesn't pass the laugh test.
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Yeah. Although I am not surprised by those who poo-poo the idea, I am a little disheartened at the lack of logic used in their arguments.
 
Dayton3 said:
People who choose to violate the laws of society should have no part in deciding how its run.

Ever.
Click to expand...
your reason being ...........
 
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