[boris]

"After the prisoner has paid his debt to society, he should be allowed to vote, and to become a productive citizen."

See my #15. Since loss of the right to vote is part of the punishment a felon continues to pay his debt even after he is released. He is reminded at each election of his crime(s) and why he cannot--should not--be permitted to participate in the greater society's political venue.

--Boris

[HiTech RedNeck]

Note that such persons are not, however, prohibited from working in political campaigns. Effective campaigns can swing a lot more votes than the campaign workers would cast themselves.