I'm pretty sure that voting is the last thing someone's thinking about when they go out and commit a felony.
If some guy commits a felony DUI and does a few years in the slammer, what's to be gained (from society's viewpoint) by not letting him vote 50 years later when he's an 80 year old man who has since been an honorable citizen, paying his taxes, running a successful business, a homeowner, a father and grandfather etc?
Agree, voting is probably the last thing on someones mind when they commit a felony, but again maybe the individuals lack of responsibility in committing the felony DUI (i.e. knowingly drinking too much and driving) shows an underlying lack of responsibility. While some convicted of some felonies just made a mistake one time (like maybe the example you gave), most are repetitive law violators and in my opinion, they should not get their vote back. Why give a criminal the right to vote on laws/lawmakers who would make it easier for him/her to continue to commit crimes, whether blue/white collar crimes or street crimes. To say all felons get their right to vote back is insane. AND, it should not be the damn federal government that says