The right to vote is one of the fundamental rights of every American as entrenched in the U.S. Constitution. However, millions of Americans have been stripped of this right with many being denied this right for the rest of their lives. One of the groups that have been stripped of the right to vote is convicted felons. Most of the existing state laws bar convicted felons from voting even after they have been released from prisoner unless they are granted clemency by the state governor (Gonchar par, 1). Despite the widespread adoption of such state regulations, the right to vote for ex-convicted felons have become a major issue in the recent past. There are debates on whether felons who have served their time in incarceration facilities should be permitted to vote upon release. Ex-convicted felons who have demonstrated the principles of good citizenship after being set free should be allowed to vote.
Controversies Regarding the Issue
The right to vote for ex-convicted felons has emerged as one of the most controversial issues in the United States in the recent past given that it has attracted huge debates and different views. People who support the prohibition of ex-convicted felons from voting have raised several arguments to support their claims including the fact such prohibition is consistent with other limitations on voting including sanity, age, and residency. They also contend ex-convicted felons should be barred from voting because such measures are consistent with...
Works Cited
Gonchar, Michael. "Should Felons Be Allowed to Vote After They Have Served Their Time?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2014, http://www.learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/should-convicted-felons-be-allowed-to-vote-after-theyve-served-their-time/?mcubz=1.
Weeks, Daniel. "Should Felons Lose the Right to Vote?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 07 Jan. 2014, http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/should-felons-lose-the-right-to-vote/282846/.
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