Ex-Felons Are Still Part of the American Democracy
Americans participation when it comes to politics is spotty. A lack of trust in our American government can result in citizens not wanting to vote or have a particular say in the outcome of political elections and decisions. Is the lack of participation in American politics a problem? Yes. People may think "it's only one vote" and that "it doesn't matter", but that is false. Every vote is very important to the future of our country and everyone's lives. American democracy relies on the participation of the American citizens, if not all Americans vote or participate in politics, we cant have a real democracy.
Eight percent of the overall population are ex-felons. Yet, ex-felons don't have the right to vote, despite the fact of support from some states, thirty-two states still have it illegal for ex-felons to vote. Even after jail time and possible parole or mandatory rehabilitation, they still don't have the right to vote in more than half of the states. Without ex-felons we are disregarding a whole percent of the population who have a voice and deserve to have a say in the politics that directly affect their lives. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of democracy is: “government by the people” (“Democracy”). Without the votes of the ex-felons that line in America, we can not consider the U.S. a complete democracy. Other people have the right to vote and the right to choose to not to exercise it, which is part of their rights whether or not to which is a part of democracy. Ex-felons don’t even have the right to choose whether or not to vote, which ruins the idea of an American democracy.
Lots of places support giving ex-felons in their states the right to vote. In Florida, 65% of the people support returning to right to vote to the 1.4 million people who are ex-felons (Pérez). People are making big strides to return the right to vote to convicted felons. The upcoming 2020 Presidential election has candidates who support giving convicted felons the right to vote. Bernie Sanders a senator from Vermont, has openly supported giving ex-felons the right to vote and also giving people actively incarcerated the right to vote (Chaidez).
Just because you commit a crime, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have the right to participate in democracy. People are already paying the price for their actions, and in the cases of ex-felons, they already have. Just because you’ve committed a crime you shouldn’t have to give up your human right and position in American democracy.
Works Cited
Chaidez, Alexandra. "Which 2020 Candidates Think Incarcerated Felons Should Be Able to Vote?" CBS News, 14 June 2019, www.cbsnews.com/news/which-2020-candidates-think-incarcerated-felons-should-be-able-to-vote/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.
"Democracy." Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.
Pérez, Myrna. "Restore Voting Rights to Ex-Felons." Politico, www.politico.com/interactives/2019/how-to-fix-politics-in-america/participation/restore-voting-rights-to-ex-felons/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.
Vote. Your Voice Matters. Swartmore, www.swarthmore.edu/voter-information/all-about-voting. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.
Why do you think that voting is a right, and not a privilege? Did the felons not get the chance to respect and uphold the law of our country? I believe that in this case, the "right to vote" is being treated as a privilege to those who have broken the law. What is the other side to your argument?
ReplyDeleteYour blog is very good and I enjoyed reading it! Do you believe ex-felons should be allowed to vote after they served their time because people can change, or do you think they should have the right to vote anyway because people always deserve that right?
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think ex-felons should be allowed to vote because as American citizens they should be allowed to continue to participate in politics even though they've committed a crime. People always deserve the right to participate in things that directly impact them, especially in American democracy.
DeleteGood focus on a particular topic tied to participation. What are some of the reasons why people don't think ex-felons should have the right to vote?
ReplyDeleteDo you have anymore reasons as to why Ex-felons should be able to vote?
ReplyDeleteI find this post really interesting. I also wonder why people don't think ex-felons should vote. It is supposed to be a right in this country. This is a huge portion of our population that isn't able to imput their opinion on the government of their own country.
ReplyDeleteI like what you are saying here. Do you think all ex-felons shouldn't be able to vote or should there be some exceptions?
ReplyDeleteDo you think Ex-Felons should be given all their rights back, including their rights to own firearms? How do you justify allowing ex felons to vote, but not giving them the rest of their rights back.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the lack of participation in politics is a large issue in our country. Do you think allowing ex-felons to vote would add a significant amount of participation, or would they be uninterested in politics?
ReplyDelete