| While in prison https://twitter.com/maustermuhle/status/1182295881489567749?s=21 |
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This is noting new or unique to the District.
In two states, Maine and Vermont, all prisoners are eligible to vote. However, some prisoners in Mississippi, Alaska and Alabama can vote while incarcerated, depending on their convictions. Also, several other states are making it easier for people to vote once they leave prison. In May, Nevada’s governor signed a bill that automatically restores voting rights for parolees. And, last year, voters in Florida re-enfranchised nearly 1.5 million residents with felony convictions while Louisiana restored voting rights for nearly 36,000 people convicted of felonies. Laws barring people with felony convictions from voting first began cropping up in Southern states during the Jim Crow era. Many voting rights advocates say the laws were a deliberate attempt to limit black political power. Of the nearly 6.1 million people estimated to be disenfranchised because of a felony conviction, nearly 40 percent are black. |
| Is there any incentive to obey laws anymore ? |
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June 4, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine released the following statement in support of Councilmember Robert White’s introduction of the Restore the Vote Amendment Act of 2019: “Councilmember Robert White’s bill to restore the right to vote to incarcerated District residents demonstrates his ability to lead locally and nationally on one of the most important issues that defines our country—Democracy manifested by the right to vote. “When people violate the law, we must hold them accountable, but we shouldn't strip them of their rights as citizens. Most countries in the world recognize that incarcerated people will eventually return to their communities, and that ensuring that they remain active participants with their families and community during a period of incarceration enhances the likelihood that they will not engage in wrongdoing upon release. “We also know that when the federal government stripped incarcerated District residents of their right to vote 64 years ago, it disproportionately affected communities of color. As the District fights for voting rights and representation in our democracy, we must make sure that those rights are extended to all of our residents and that we right a historic wrong.” |
Have you spent time in an American jail? Eaten "protein loaf? Go enjoy some time in jail, if you think it's so easy. |
thats why I obey laws |
Is there anywhere in the constitution that states that if you go to prison you lose the right to vote? Serious question. |
| Prisoners should be allowed to vote. There is no logical reason to take away their voting rights; in fact, I think it's unconstitutional. |
Yes and no, thanks to the delicately worded duplicity of the 14th Amendment. As you know, the 14th Amendment abolished slavery and Section I grants citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the Civil War. However, Section II of the 14th Amendment provides a cozy little loophole which states that some kinds of discrimination, such as based on criminal convictions, citizenship, and residence, are indeed permissible. Couple that with the fact that state governments have the right to establish requirements for voters, voter registration, and conduct of elections and you have a perfectly prejudicial system that allows U.S. citizens to be legally disenfranchised in accordance with the Constitution. Here's a breakdown of state-by-state voting laws for felons.
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| Good for them! |
where does it say prisoners lose their gun rights ? |
It's not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution but under federal law, convicted felons are banned from purchasing and possessing a firearm. In 1934, the federal government passed a law denying anyone convicted of a violent felony the right to own a gun. This remained as the law until the Gun Control Act in 1968 when it was amended to include all persons convicted of any felony, even those that did not involve violence. This law remains in effect today. However, laws vary from state to state regarding regarding restoration of the right to purchase and own a firearm so a person could be cleared at one level (state), but not the other (federal). Some states reinstate gun rights automatically if a criminal record is expunged. Other states require a mandatory multi-year waiting period before reinstatement. And still others require the completion of all terms of sentencing, including the completion of parole and probation, before allowing a person to petition authorities for the restoration of rights. |
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This is Robert White's baby. His brother, Michael, ran over a person, while drunk, and fled from the police. Robert wants to make sure people like his brother aren't treated poorly while they're in prison for the crimes they've committed.
Now murderers and rapists will be able to vote on your laws while in prison because Michael screwed-up. |
Well, Democrats do need all the help they can get. |
Any time you have to jump to the extreme to make a point you are making less of an argument and more inciting a reaction. |