#NoVotesForCriminals
Should felons be allowed to vote? | The Tylt
Should felons be allowed to vote?
With the exception of Maine and Vermont, incarcerated individuals are not allowed to vote. Some states have laws that go even further and prevent anyone who has ever been to prison from ever restoring their voting rights. Critics argue people who break the law forfeit their right to participate in the political process. But others argue mass incarceration and sentencing disparities disenfranchise millions of Americans and disproportionately impact African-Americans. What do you think? 🗳️
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Should felons be allowed to vote?
In almost every state in the U.S., incarcerated individuals are not allowed to vote, and in some state, convicted felons permanently lose their right to vote even after they have finished serving their sentence.
Most states even impose voting restrictions on former prisoners who are out on parole, and a few states—Kentucky, Florida, Iowa, and Virginia—have lifetime disenfranchisement laws for anyone who has ever been to prison. These laws combine to prohibit an estimated 6.1 million Americans from voting, per one October 2016 estimation.
#VotingRightsForAll
Many have lobbied against felony voter disenfranchisement and consider it a form of voter suppression. Felony voter laws disproportionately impact people of color and many believe it is fundamentally wrong to prohibit individuals from participating in a political process that so deeply impacts their lives.
But others have argued that individuals who fail to follow the law forfeit their right to fully participate in society, which includes the political sphere.
#VotingRightsForAll
Voting rights advocates still push for felons to be allowed to vote across the country.
Felon disenfranchisement is enormous form of voter suppression in the United States, impacting 6.1 million Americans https://t.co/2tz2xSQ7zh
— Udi Ofer (@UdiACLU) September 11, 2017
#VotingRightsForAll
Racist Gerrymandering, strict voter ID laws, felon disenfranchisement goal? Voting class is mainly white, & GOP wins https://t.co/Sil7E2CKls
— Pete Quily (@pqpolitics) August 22, 2017
But others believe allowing felons to vote is wrong, and a tactic being used by Democrats to win elections.
If you break the laws then you shouldn't have the right to then make laws. Felons should not vote.
— Weaponized Autist (@WeaponizdAutist) May 18, 2017
Felons in Jail should not be allowed to vote! @TheDemocrats need criminals to vote them into office!
— Esan (@feru012) June 20, 2017
