Argumentative Essay On Felons

The controversy over what rights felons have after being convicted varies ``from state to state. As a United States citizen, our right to vote is presented clearly in the Constitution. Due to this, being incarcerated should not affect our civil duties or rights. Stripping citizens of their right to vote only weakens our democracy because it minimizes voting turnouts. To address this issue, congress has the position and power to overrule each state’s laws to make it clear that convicted felons should be eligible to vote in all states.

The way convicted felons are perceived by others can tend to be unjust and unfair.According to FairVote, “about 5.3 million U.S. citizens that have been convicted of a felony can not vote”. The belief that “people who commit serious crimes have shown that they are not trustworthy"(Clegg), is a prominent argument that occurs when the decision to allow felons to vote is discussed. Whether or not a person is trustworthy, does not affect their voting capability. The polls can not turn away people based on any circumstance other than they are not a U.S. citizen. There are many

Some are more harsh than others, while some are very lenient. The states “Maine and Vermont allow voting to be upheld even in prisons”(FairVote). This is a drastic change when compared to states “Virginia and Kentucky [who] permanently eliminate one’s right to vote after becoming a felon”(FairVote). Only “thirty-eight states and Washington D.C. allow voting of felons after their incarceration”(Felon Voting Rights). Someone who has been convicted of a felony can have just as much passion or even care more about their civil rights than another citizen. Depending on which state they committed the crime, felons could lose their right to vote which could take that opportunity away from someone who really cares about the political and economic state of our