Convicted Felons denied voting rights????????

Question

I understand if someone is fresh out of prison or has a history with the law not being allowed to vote, but for someone with one charge that is some years old, who is a contributing member of society? Why doesnt the statute of limitations pertain Felon voting rights as well?

Answer 1

A very dear friend of mine also has a felony even though he should not have. He should have been sent to the mental hospital instead. Anyway, he got a voting pamphlet and voted and sent it in. Who knows if anyone checked, but he figured why not do it anyway. How about petitioning the court to reduce your charge to a misdemeanor. They said my friend can do that when his 1st year is up if he completes his probation cleanly, which he has.

Answer 2

Consequences, consequences, consequences. Your actions have consequences. If you commit a felony you have broken the law and have EARNED certain consequences. Losing the right to vote is a right that you lose when you commit a felony. If you want to vote don't break the law. It is that easy.

Answer 3

I think that is while they are in prison.  If they are not in prison then they can vote

Answer 4

1. You can be a campaign worker and influence more votes than just the one that you are not allowed.

2. You can whine and complain.

3. You can get the state constitution changed through a lot of hard work and effort.  Get a group called "Felons for voting" and see how that goes over.

4. You can research all 50 states and see if ANY would let you vote and then move there.

5.  Try to get your charges reduces since you have "proven" yourself to only yourself. Perhaps you are not the best judge, being a felon and all.

6.  If this country is so unfair, move to a better one.

Answer 5

check with your state laws. Some states allow a felon to vote again once they are off probation or supervision for the felony offence.

Answer 6

cant you petition the governor of you state for a pardon or conditional pardon?  a felony conviction is a lot more serious than you are making it out to be.

Answer 7

In my opinion this is just another way of keeping the poor from voting. The simple fact of the matter is that most felons are from poor family, and poor neighborhood.

I think that anyone who is old enough to go to war should be able to vote, or they should make it that if you are a felon you can not be subject to the draft.

That would be the only fair way of doing it.

Answer 8

If you are a convicted felon, as you say, then you were'nt convicted on a "minor charge", as you claim.

Answer 9

Depending on if your state allows this, you'll need to petition the court to re-establish your voting rights... it can be done, but it will not be cheap !  Unless you know an attorney who will work pro bono, it will take a lot of effort on your part to regain them.  Try starting with a call to your local ACLU chapter and discussing what options you have in regards to this.  I personally think this is an injustice for folks who have made a mistake in their lives and have served their time... bills have been floated in several states in regard to this, but it seems to be something that has to be worked out on a case by case basis.  Good luck in your fight !

Answer 10

There are only a few states that permanently remove a convicted felon's right to vote.  Many simply do not allow incarcerated felons to vote, but a few even allow that.  The justification behind restricting a convicted felon's right to vote is that a felon broke the social contract (the laws) that govern this country and thus should not be allowed to help shape the laws they disregarded.,

My personal opinion is that voting rights should be suspending for convicted felons while in prison and for a period of years thereafter, and if they have indeed proven themselves contributing members of society, voting rights should again be granted.  Temporary loss of voting rights seems to me to be a logical consequence for committing a crime, and while you may feel that your the grounds of your conviction were not legitimate, a felony is a felony.