VANITY: Do you think felons should be allowed to vote?

me

[yonif]

A friend of mine was wondering about this topic and discussed it with me.

Do you think felons (those in jail and those who are "reformed") should be allowed to vote (not felons convicted of voter relating crime)?

There are those countries, such as Israel, which allow felons to vote (both in and out of prison, as long as they were not convicted of voter related crimes).

What do you think? Why is it a good or bad idea?

[ExSoldier]

"who is a risk..."

The rate of recidivism (felons released who reoffend within a given period, usually a year and are sent back to prison) is about 70%. They are all at risk of this. There are some societal factors which contribute such as an inability to get or hold a job and of course the ever present personal demons of substance abuse. Some of these people shouldn't be returned to society, but the problems of overcrowding and politics and soft judges (democraps?) persist.

[cadre]

People of average intelligence aren't incompetent. Some insane people have little or no connection to reality. I'm not suggesting that all insane or incompetent people shouldn't vote. On the other hand I don't believe a person with the mental capacity of Teri Schaivo should vote.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Yuppers... 'felony' used to mean a crime that was deemed potentially worthy of a death sentence. Now, things fall under that rubric term, that nobody would have dreamed of punishing with a death sentence.

[A. Pole]

Naturally, you are all purity and innocence. That would explain your saccharine smarm and your petulant sanctimony.

What?! Where did I suggest that I am pure and innocent? You are making a projection .

[Arpege92]

70% repeat offenders! Wow, that's pretty high and yet there are some people who want these felons to ragain their right to vote. Go figure.

[MarkL]

I'm of the belief that once a felon has "paid his debt to society," i.e. has served his term, his civil liberties should be returned.

However, I'm not for returning them early, meaning that if a felon is released from jail after serving 5 years of a 10 year sentance, then his rights should only be returned after the expriation of the full sentance. Sort of like being on probation for the remaining time.

Mark

[TaxRelief]

I am sure I have never knowingly or unknowingly committed a felony.

[Monty22]

God I'm sick of pot being put up as some damn virture.

[BeerSwillr]

Yep, I won't argue that point.

[Prime Choice]

You are making a projection .

You are making a fool out of yourself.

Please stop. It's not even remotely entertaining. Maybe your mother claps for these little charades of yours, but the rest of us find it pretty darn borning.

[Clinging Bitterly]

Who is to say what the "mental capacity" of Teri Schaivo is? Clearly she doesn't have the abillity to express a preference on much of anything at all, but I wasn't aware that she had asked for a ballot.

[cadre]

Courts rule on issues of mental capacity all the time.

[boris]

"You're incorrect, felons are only denied the voting franchise in a handful of states. Another handful lets them vote while serving their sentences."

It does not matter how many states were hoodwinked into restoring the franchise to felons.

All of the states permit abortion, so I guess it must be OK.

All of the states permit blatant infringement on the Bill of Rights, so that must be OK too.

Brilliant logic.

--Boris

[boycott]

no

[getitright]

Rodney King:
"No, because most felons are repeat criminals, and you don't want repeat crimianls voting for politicians who decide how tough law enforcement should be. Theoretically if you had someone who did one crime,and was otherwise a law abiding person, I would not mind if that person voted. Of course, its impossible to really make that distinction, so we are better off just preventing felons from voting."

Excellent point- that puts law breakers selecting law makers. Clear conflict. No can happen.

Now for the no-brainer du jour: For whom do you think convicts would most often vote? Gee. Wonder why.

[cadre]

According to its Division of Elections, Florida bars people from voting if adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state.

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/regtovote/regform.shtml

[MarkL]

Only people who pay taxes should be allowed to vote.

Now this is something that I've been giving a lot of thought to lately... There was someone I heard going off on how "unfair" a flat tax is. How unfair it is that if a person makes $10,000 a year, he would have to pay the same tax as someone who makes $1,000,000 a year (yes, I know... The moron meant tax rate, but I believe that she said that purposely, to confuse her dimwitted supporters). I also recall Weasel Clark making a statement that "this country was founded on 'progessive taxation!'" Somebody must have relabeled his copy of the Communist Manifesto as "Thoughts of the Founding Fathers," when you consider that there WAS NO INCOME TAX when this country was founded, and for nearly the next 100 years!

Actually, I seem to recall the phrase, "No Taxation Without Representation!" It seems to me, that when it comes to a "progressive tax code," some people are being forced to pay a greater percentage of their wages without a greater amount of representation. There's also the problem of "equal protection under the law." Why is it that it's fair when someone pays less than another, when both get the same rights and services. I think that this is something that the ACLU should take up! What do you think? Any chance?

I believe that every citizen should get a vote. However, if you respect the "No Taxation without Representation" part, I think that you should get a number of votes based on how much you pay in taxes. Say, one vote for every $5000 in taxes you pay."

Mark

[isom35]

hey we had a felon for pres, so ya, let em vote.

[metalurgist]

You are right about felons that have served their time having their voting rights restored. The other people on this site that are for permanent disfranchisement don't know how far down the slippery slope we as a country have slid.

I read people claim that they have never committed a fellony. Oh yeah, well have you ever taken a walk in the woods and picked up a feather lying on the ground? You may have just became a fellon for possesing endangered species parts. Remember the woman that gave Hitlery the indian dream catcher?

[beavus]

Voting is overrated. If the felon vote would make a difference, then we're already skrewed.