Essay On Felony Disenfranchisement

The longevity of our nation thus far can be rooted back to the promised, basic ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The democracy that our nation prides itself on encompasses a multitude of rights, some of which being equality, freedom, and representation under the law. Perhaps one of the largest hot-button issues is felony disenfranchisement and how it contradicts the democratic ideal of equality, a word that is conveniently omitted from the Constitution. While felons lose democratic rights for a period of time while imprisoned, is it right for them to permanently lose their ability to vote, even after they have completed their sentence? Everyone wants to have the equal opportunity to vote, yet, a seemingly simple question has been disputed among scholars for decades. That being said, it has become clear that felons who have completed their sentence most definitely should have the ability to vote: …show more content…
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, disenfranchisement can be defined as, “to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity; especially to deprive of the right to vote.” In essence, felony disenfranchisement is the act of prohibiting felons who were convicted of a criminal offense the right to vote. In 2008, roughly 132 Americans voted in the presidential election compared to the record-breaking 139 million in 2016 (Business Insider). Despite the record, roughly six million Americans were disenfranchised at the time of the 2016 election (Uggen, Shannon, Larson). In 1976 though, only slightly over one million Americans were disenfranchised (Uggen, Shannon, Larson). It is clear that the number of disenfranchised felons is exponentially rising, and as a result, potentially affecting the election outcome more and