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Felon Disenfranchisement Is Anti-Democracy

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What would you do if you were convicted as a felon for the rest of your life for a crime that you knew you were not guilt of ? Many people around the world are convicted as felons not because they are guilty but because they do not have the money or support to have the proper attorney to fight their case. The articles ‘ If You Can’t Follow Laws, You Shouldn’t Help Make Them’ by Roger Clegg and ‘ Felon Disenfranchisement Is Anti-Democratic’ by Janai S. Nelson have different viewpoints on whether convicted felons should be given their rights to vote again. Felons should not have their right to vote taken away because despite what they have been through they are no less human than a regular citizen and deserve to be treated like everyone else. The article written by Clegg explains how in order for a convicted felon to have their chance to vote again must have to have his or hers case analyzed based upon their new actions. In the first paragraph of the article he states: “ The right to vote should only be restored to felons on a case-by-case basis after a person has shown that he or she has truly changed.” This idea does not restore the person their right to vote, it …show more content…

It is jumping to judging someone when we do not even know the whole story or what that person has been through. Discrimination has been going on for years now. In “Felon Disenfranchisement Is Anti-Democratic,” Nelson states what felon disenfranchisement is when he says, “felon disenfranchisement is often based on negative assumptions about how someone’s identity, status or past behavior will inform his or her choices in the ballot box. But assumptions about a voter's viewpoint violate First Amendment principles.” Unfortunately this is something that we still see everyday in our society and it needs to come to an end. Everyone should be given the right to vote no matter what the

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