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Tara Chaplin
Ms. Boyd
Eng-111
April 28, 2015

Felon Voting
Should felon who have complete their sentences (incarceration, probation and
parole) be allowed to vote? Yes, they should be able to vote, under certain ground rules.
Felons are human being and have human rights.
The right to vote, and being a felon in America is very hard to do in some states. Some states
allow felon to vote in jail or just being release from jail. In many states policies on felony reenfranchisement among the 50 states is consistent. On letting former offender who wish to regain
the right to vote again can do so? If we as the people will read about the laws and rules of a felon
being able to have rights to vote, maybe crime rates will go down. My look on felons being able
to vote again in America have a 21 percent chance to do so. If they do not become a repeat
offender. Which can lower they ability to vote. Some offenders are unaware of the law in the
state they live in. Knowing that voting law is in their favor, to be able to register to vote. They
need to make known to young men who have become a felon. Education on the law and they
rights needs to be study while they are during the sentences in jail. Yes, there is much more when
they are being release. If we do not make a way to our first offender felons and let them know of
option to be heard on voting day. Maybe some will lead back into the life of crime in their
community and make it much worst on them selfs. Some will just disconnected from the civic
participation of doing right in their community. If no one can reach out to help, some to

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understand the law. What can I do to help Felon Voting law change for the better? First, they
can start writing to law legislators who help make the laws. The executives who help forces them
to work for us all. They will tell some felons who are able to vote that we do have a Pardon-Law
that we can write to also The Board of Pardons in some sates their require a sample of your
DNA to the state just in case anything occurred. Or you may decide to move out of their states,
which makes a lot of sense to me. Some will tell felons who are able to go back to school, if they
do not catch them in first hand before being release. In months they can or might not fall back
into the life of crimes, some may care to get help and some may not. Restoring Voting Rights
To Former Felons.
In 1920s, after the passage of the Amendment, it was extended to African-Americans. In the
1868 with passage of the 14th Amendment and effectively enforced with the Civil Rights Act of
1964. In 1971, Congress lowered the standard of voting for convicted felons and put voting age
to 18 years old. Yet, in two states, citizens with a felony convicts are prohibited from voting
either permanently or temporarily. It is fair and consistent that felony re-enfranchisement laws
can contribute to the rehabilitation process. Reduce the harmful impact of them going back into
the crime world. In other words, ex-felons would presumably vote for policies that help criminals
and the legitimate interests of otherwise law-abiding members of the community. The data have
showed in Virginia that more than 404 persons have regain their voting rights, when there were
200,000 ex-felons in the state. Since more than 99 percent of felons have not been convicted of
electoral offenses, this seems to be a rather overbroad concern. Ironically, in some states electoral
offense are only classified as a misdemeanors and therefore persons who are convicted of these
crimes are not subject to disenfranchisement. If convicted felons have the rights to divorce, own
property or file lawsuits. By law they should have the rights to vote also, according to the status

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of the crimes. Up to date these days more 15,000 felons are regaining their rights to vote back
again. In 2000 the governors of different states have signed into law a measure repealing the
states lifetime ban on ex-felon to vote. They would have to wait five years after their release
from prison to vote. After some felons have serve them sentences there are at least 20 percent of
felons cannot vote. Many places have banned some of felons for the rest of their life to vote
again. Sadly to say estimated of the 13 percent to 20 percent is African American males who
cannot vote, because of their crimes history.

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Work Cited
Doug, Grow. Author Minn Post. 30 April 2015 printed. Journal.

Felon Voting Rights. National Conference of State Legislatures. Web. 7/15/2014

http://www.NCSL.org/research/elections-andCampaiging

Losing the Vote: The Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement laws in the United States Human
Rights watch and the Sentencing Project. Web October 1998
http://www.felonvoting.procon.org/view.timeline.phptime

Marc, Mauer. The Sentencing Project. Author, Race to Incarcerate. The News Press 2002.
Journal

Siegel, Jonah A. Felon Disenfranchisement and the fight for Universal Suffrage
January 1, 2011. Journal