Essay Sample on Felony Conviction Should Not Deny US Citizens Their Right to Vote

Introduction

People convicted of a felony should never lose their voting rights. The right to vote is a birthright for every citizen born in the United States. Many authorities have taken a right for granted, and only a few have taken the initiative to exercise it. After the 57th presidential election, more than five million US citizens were denied their rights to vote, and they could not participate in any other electoral process (Meredith, and Morse 2). However, such a constitutional right should be granted to the citizens regardless of whether they are convicted of a felony or not. Usually, a felony is any crime that can result in imprisonment for more than one year.

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Conversely, different states in the US have diverging perspectives on what constitutes a misdemeanor. Notably, voting rights should not be subject to the whims of state policymakers because denying felons voting rights is considered a punishment according to human rights organizations. Indeed, it is a punishment that is above and beyond the one that is dictated by the judicial system.

Different states should ensure uniformity in the laws to give convicted criminals their voting rights back. And because laws vary widely from state to state, the federal government needs to draft a national policy that guarantees convicted felons their full voting rights. Incarcerated felons should have their voting rights to ensure that they can elect the leaders of their choice, just like in Maine and Vermont States. Although several other US states continue to disenfranchise people who have been released from prison upon reinstating their voting rights, it is wrong, and there is a need for an urgent policy review (Pierlow 3). Based on rational thoughts and from the law of nature, individuals on probation for criminal conduct should have their voting rights, and even individuals on parole for felony crimes should exercise their electoral processes freely. Therefore, every US citizen should have their voting rights permanently, and that right should never be revoked regardless of the nature of the crime.

The United States has had a long history of denying her people their right to vote. It is currently a fraught battle over the rights of the citizens. The right to vote should be guaranteed to the people, including convicted felons because the reason relates to any other significant rights and principles. For example, the right to vote is as important as the right to equality and justice in the constitutional provision (Meredith, and Morse 1). Therefore, the right to vote should not be denied to any eligible US citizen even though they might have infringed on the rights of others.

Convicted felons should have their full right to vote since the right is vital in any democratic process. The most important argument here is that denial of voting rights to prisoners is considered a gross over-generalization. Additionally, the judicial system must have in mind that prisoners' voices matter to the country just like any other citizens. Furthermore, if the US rules are based on democratic principles, then it is morally upright to afford voting rights to convicted criminals and any other citizen regardless of their situation. Indeed, the denial of the right to the citizens as well as prisoners can result in dangerous slippery slope repercussions. Typically, prisoners have full access to their rights to free speech or religion.

Similarly, they have never been denied the right to equal justice. Therefore, they should have their voting rights unhampered with. The only thing that can be done is to restrict the rights that are deemed to have the potential of guaranteeing a just and functional democracy within the imperfect justice system. Notably, ensuring the voting rights universally to every citizen, including prisoners, will provide an only and substantive democracy in our nation. It is an apparent justification that taking away the right to vote is the infringement of their voice to be heard, and this can cause harm to all convicted felons.

The core concept regarding this argument is that prisoners should be allowed to vote because denying them such a right is an infringement of the right of another. It is not right to subject one to a situation that compels them to forego their rights due to a mere generalization. The idea of denying them voting rights fails to consider the fact that some of the incarcerated prisoners just committed minor offenses of crimes that are classified as mala prohibita. Some felonies are insignificant because they are wrong not in themselves but because they are prohibited by law. A typical example, in this case, is drug crime because some people would argue that a kaya dealer should receive the same kind of treatment as a serial killer.

Undeniably, prisoners' voices matter. The voices referred to in this context are essential for ensuring the appropriate advancement of the criminal justice system. Therefore, it is better to rely on a criminal justice system that values rehabilitation and reintegration rather than subjecting all prisoners to retribution (Wood 30). Concerning voting rights, prisoners should be allowed to exercise their authority in all electoral processes regardless of whether they belong to either racial minorities or majorities. Similarly, they should have universal voting rights even if they are financially disenfranchised before the incarceration occurred (Pierlow 10). The only problem that should first be dealt with is to eliminate the ongoing racial profiling that is affecting most US citizens in the current legal system. By so doing, the nation will be obliged to hear the voices of her poor citizens, and the ultimate result will be the proper and honest distribution of wealth and financial resources without discrimination. Additionally, granting the voting rights to prisoners enables the nation to eliminate marginalization of the various segments of her population and those who have been over-represented in the country's prison cells.

Convicted felons should have their right to vote because they are entitled to it in the constitutional provisions. The right to vote is fundamental to American democracy. Many of the criminals are usually convicted for vastly different reasons and circumstances. Therefore, a generalized approach to incarceration is ineffective in pardoning criminals because every citizen's voice matters to the nation's progress. Therefore, to ensure fairness in the justice system, it is vital to stick by the democratic principles outlined in the constitution. Notably, the failure to do so is a failure to us, and it means rejecting our rights. Prisoners should be allowed to vote because democracy is stemmed from the concept of equal rights for every citizen of a nation (Wood 4). Therefore, the prisoners have the freedom of speech and religion, the right to a fair trial, and their right to privacy should remain unrestricted. Therefore, not all crimes have similar injurious acts; hence, the different categories of felons should retain their civil rights such as voting rights.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it makes a lot of sense to restore voting rights to convicted felons because these individuals, in addition to those who are still under incarceration, retain several of their rights. Such reasons include but not limited to the ability to get married, divorce, and to purchase or sell a property. Also, the First Amendment protects most of these convicted felons and guarantees the right to free speech unless the individual is charged with allegations that relate to security concerns. The fact remains that there is no moral justification as to why the justice system should take away the right to vote (Meredith, and Morse 2). Therefore even convicted felons with the most harmful human rights standards as well as ex-felons should be allowed to vote.

Works Cited

Meredith, Marc, and Morse, Michael. The Politics of the Restoration of Ex-Felon Voting Rights: The Case of Iowa. 2014. https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~marcmere/workingpapers/IowaFelons.pdf. Accessed 26 February 2020

Pierlow, Bev. Restoring Voting Rights to Convicted Felons. Southern New Hampshire University. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324263040_Running_head_RESTORING_VOTING_RIGHTS_TO_CONVICTED_FELONS_Restoring_Voting_Rights_to_Convicted_Felons. Accessed 26 February 2020

Wood, Erika. Brennan Center for Justice. Restoring the Right to Vote. New York University School of Law, 2009. https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/Report_Restoring-the-Right-to-Vote.pdf. Accessed 26 February 2020