The Philosophy Of Felon Voting Disenfranchisement
Democracy has always been a major playing point in our country since its inception. Placing officials into office that have been elected to protect the nature of democracy is a power the people were granted in the late 1770s and solidified once we became separate from Britain, yet millions of people nationwide are unable to vote due to restrictions imposed on them either during or after their incarceration.
The entire point of a democracy is the fact that officials are appointed by the population as a whole, or elected by representatives. Often, democracy is called “the voice of the people,” but when more than six million of US citizens are not allowed to vote due to felony disenfranchisement their voices are in turn snuffed out of important election decisions. Although the voting restriction affects each state differently, many are allowed to vote after their term of incarceration is up, but some have the ability to lose voting …show more content…
It has long come hand in hand with our constitution. In early 1792, Kentucky was the first of the nation to establish felon disenfranchisement with the rest of the states following soon after. In 1974, the US Supreme court system ruled that felons’ voting restriction was not unconstitutional, yet up until 2001 any ex-felon had been placed under a lifetime ban on voting in New Mexico. The Amendment XV, an addition to the constitution, states that,” The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude,” but we still continue to permit felons to vote for something that will affect them once they leave the confinements of prison. A prison term itself is meant to be a punishment for whatever crime has been committed, yet once felons leave their democratic freedom and rights are being
Democracy has always been a major playing point in our country since its inception. Placing officials into office that have been elected to protect the nature of democracy is a power the people were granted in the late 1770s and solidified once we became separate from Britain, yet millions of people nationwide are unable to vote due to restrictions imposed on them either during or after their incarceration.
The entire point of a democracy is the fact that officials are appointed by the population as a whole, or elected by representatives. Often, democracy is called “the voice of the people,” but when more than six million of US citizens are not allowed to vote due to felony disenfranchisement their voices are in turn snuffed out of important election decisions. Although the voting restriction affects each state differently, many are allowed to vote after their term of incarceration is up, but some have the ability to lose voting …show more content…
It has long come hand in hand with our constitution. In early 1792, Kentucky was the first of the nation to establish felon disenfranchisement with the rest of the states following soon after. In 1974, the US Supreme court system ruled that felons’ voting restriction was not unconstitutional, yet up until 2001 any ex-felon had been placed under a lifetime ban on voting in New Mexico. The Amendment XV, an addition to the constitution, states that,” The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude,” but we still continue to permit felons to vote for something that will affect them once they leave the confinements of prison. A prison term itself is meant to be a punishment for whatever crime has been committed, yet once felons leave their democratic freedom and rights are being