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The Pros And Cons Of Disenfranchisement

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The United States of America is a Democratic society. In a Democratic society, the people elect individuals who will govern our society. When an individual becomes of age, they gain a privilege which is their right to vote. When an individual commits a felony, they can lose their voting privileges for a few years or even for life. Our basic principle in our society is free will and the ability to do things as we please. Felony Disenfranchisement, hinders ex-felons to exercise their free will after they have served their time in prison. Disenfranchisement laws are racist, take away individuals freedom, and have a huge impact on recidivism.
The majority of states in the U.S. have some sort of disenfranchisement laws. This means that in most states, once an individual is convicted of a felony, that individual will lose their right to vote. Depending on state laws, it can be for life or for a few years. According to Allard, about 3.9 million Americans, or one in fifty adults, have lost their ability to vote because of felony charges. More than one third of the total disenfranchised population are African American men (Allard 2000). There has been litigation in many different states to combat disenfranchisement, but there are still many hoops to jump through for an ex-felon to re-attain their voting rights. For example, in Virginia, an ex-felon can restore their voting privileges after a five to seven year waiting period (Allard 2000).
In the United States, society has a

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