The 14th Amendment allows states to deny citizens the right to vote if they have been convicted of “participation in rebellion, or other crime”. Most states interpret “other crime” as having committed a felony. Currently, 48 states (with the exception being Vermont and Maine) exclude inmates from voting. 36 states exclude parolees, 31 exclude probationers, and 12 states permanently exclude those who have been convicted of felonies from the voting.
This policy can be used by corrupt politicians to ostracize different groups from the polls. For example: there is a higher ratio of black men in this country that have felony offences on their records than white men. If politicians wanted to exclude more Eskimos from voting they could make it no longer legal for them to hunt whales. Since Eskimos have to eat, and they get a large amount of their food from whales, they would most likely become a bunch of felons that wouldn’t even be able to elect representation to defend their side of the issue.
“Taxation without representation is tyranny” was a slogan that was used by the founders of this country when revolting against the unjust ruling England had over the colonies. Today there is approximately 5.3 million citizens in this country that are required by law to pay taxes, and because of their pasts they have no say in who the law makers of this country are.
If I were the Emperor of the United States, in the heart of establishing a true democracy, I would draft a new constitutional amendment that ensures that no citizen can be disenfranchised, that the right to vote is a life-long right.
Barbara Ciara reporting – Felony Voting Rights in VA -Part 1
Barbara Ciara reporting – Felony Voting Rights in VA -Part 2
Recent Comments