Reply to DC council wants to allow prisoners to vote

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is the rational for not letting them vote?[/quote]

Not being ruled by criminals?  Ok, that is a little provocative.  But when someone has demonstrated that they cannot he trusted to follow society’s most serious rules, how can they be trusted with a role in selecting its leaders?[/quote]

That's one theory.  But in practice, many felon disenfranchisement laws were enacted during Reconstruction.  Lawmakers were often explicit about their intent, which was to prevent newly freed and enfranchised black men from voting.  For example, not all felonies would disqualify a voter, and those that would were considered to be crimes committed more often by black people.  These laws were passed in conjunction with poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses that were directed at suppressing the black vote.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/05/24/the-race-infused-history-of-why-felons-arent-allowed-to-vote-in-a-dozen-states/?utm_term=.14bbf04a2036

Personally, I think that those convicted of nonviolent or nonserious offenses (not to include voting-related offenses) should be able to vote.  And felons should have their voting rights restored automatically once they have served their sentence.

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