Monday, February 24, 2014

Should Felons Be Allowed To Vote?

Should Felons Be Allowed to Vote After They Have Served Their Time?

Almost six million Americans have been stripped of their right to vote — many for the rest of their lives. Most states prohibit prisoners in jail from voting, but some states bar felons from ever voting, even decades after they are released, unless they receive clemency from the governor. Felonies can include violent crimes like murder and assault, but also nonviolent crimes like tax evasion, drug dealing and check fraud.

Should people convicted of felonies ever be allowed to vote?

In “Holder Urges States to Lift Bans on Felons’ Voting,” Matt Apuzzo writes:

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called Tuesday for the repeal of laws that prohibit millions of felons from voting, underscoring the Obama administration’s determination to elevate issues of criminal justice and race in the president’s second term and create a lasting civil rights legacy.

In a speech at Georgetown University, Mr. Holder described today’s prohibitions — which in some cases bar those convicted from voting for life — as a vestige of the racist policies of the South after the Civil War, when states used the criminal justice system to keep blacks from fully participating in society.

“Those swept up in this system too often had their rights rescinded, their dignity diminished, and the full measure of their citizenship revoked for the rest of their lives,” Mr. Holder said. “They could not vote.”

Mr. Holder has no authority to enact the changes he called for, given that states establish the rules under which people can vote.

The Times Editorial Board also weighs in on the subject in “6 Million Americans Without a Voice”:

The right to vote is the foundation of any democracy, yet nearly six million Americans are denied that right, in many cases for life, because they have been convicted of a crime. Some states disenfranchise more than 7 percent of their adult citizens. …

State laws that disenfranchise people who have served their time “defy the principles — of accountability and rehabilitation — that guide our criminal justice policies,” Mr. Holder said in urging state lawmakers to repeal them. “By perpetuating the stigma and isolation imposed on formerly incarcerated individuals, these laws increase the likelihood they will commit future crimes.”

NOW YOU GO: Read both articles, then tell us …

— Should people convicted of felonies ever be allowed to vote?

— Does someone give up the right to participate in our democracy by committing a felony at any point in life? For example, passing a $100 bad check carries a lifetime ban from voting in Mississippi. Does that seem right or fair?

— After prisoners are released from jail and have fulfilled the terms of their parole, have they paid their debt to society? Should they be given a second chance to the rights of being a citizen?

— In Florida, Kentucky and Virginia, more than one in five African-Americans cannot vote because of a conviction. Mr. Holder said that today’s prohibitions “echo policies enacted during a deeply troubled period in America’s past — a time of post-Civil War repression” — when states kept freed blacks from fully participating in society. What is your response to Mr. Holder’s comments?

— What argument do you think someone could make to support a lifetime ban on voting for felons? Do you think those arguments are persuasive? Why?

111 comments:

AnonymousFebruary 25, 2014 at 11:18 AM
I think that felons should be allowed to vote. They served their time for the crimes they committed, and had their freedom taken away. Now they are back in society, and they should have the same rights that you and I have. This is another form civil rights. It’s taking away a person’s right to vote, even when the paid their debt to society.

Democracy is freedom. To restrict someone from participating in democracy, is taking away their freedom. For a person to not have freedom is the country known as “the free world” is redundant. I think that the Mississippi law is an interesting law that is unfair to people. I think it’s an easy move to prevent people from voting towards a certain person from political party.

I definitely think they’ve repaid society. They sat in jail for many years, away from the free land. They deserve a second chance, everyone does. They were convicted and sentenced. I think any free American convicted of a felony would want that second chance. They are people too, people with ideas, thoughts, and opinions. Not letting them vote is restricting not only the right to vote, but a right to freedom of expression stated in the first amendment.

Although Attorney General Holder is wrong on many issues, he is right on this one. Voting oppression is leaning towards the African-American community by not letting them vote, which is not letting them participate in society. We are in a time where “post Civil-War oppression” is well and alive in American society.

The only argument that a pro-lifetime voting ban support could make is that they violated society’s norms. Those aren’t persuasive enough. We all go against society’s norms, and people shouldn’t have a basic freedom, that many people worked hard to get, taken away from them. Felons should be allowed to vote.

| Joel M. Valdez |
~Period 5~
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AnonymousFebruary 25, 2014 at 11:21 AM
Alicia Rodriguez
Period 5

I believe that people who are convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote. We all deserve to be able to decide who is going to run our society, including felons.You can not silence somebody’s voice simply because they did something wrong. I understand that some of these felons have silenced other people’s voices, but that doesn’t mean that they do not deserve to speak freely. We’re all humans, humans deserve to be happy. That’s just how I see it.

No, I don’t believe that somebody just simply gives up the right to participate in our democracy by committing a felony at any point in life. It’s ridiculous. Why hold a grudge against somebody when people within our governments are committing crimes as well. The whole system makes no sense. It doesn’t really matter in the end because nobody is equal. If we were all equal, this would be a utopia. There is no such thing as a utopia because we all know that utopias turn into dystopia due to the perfection of it all.

After prisoners are released from jail and have fulfilled the terms of their parole, I believe they have paid their debt to society. I do think they should be given a second chance to the rights of being a citizen. I guess I agree with making people do things to redeem themselves, but everybody knows that picking up trash on the highway is not going to bring back a murdered family member or somebody’s money. Like I said before, the system has a lot of flaws. I don’t understand who had the mentality to think that since somebody committed a crime, they are no longer considered a citizen. That is just simply singling out that one person and making them even more angry than they already are. That makes the felon angry, it makes them feel like they mean nothing. They have voices too. The only reason why they committed the crime in the first place was to get some sort of attention, whether they planned on getting caught or not. It was like a cry for attention.

I believe that this has nothing to do with the Civil War. People only think it does because it involves African Americans. There is nothing unfair with it. These people chose to do the crimes, and that is the reason why they do not have a voice in society, even though I believe they should have the right to vote. The state is not keeping freed blacks from fully participating in society, the people that committed the crimes themselves are keeping themselves from fully participating in society. It all depends on the mentality of a person. I believe that the convicted felons deserve to vote, but I also believe that just because one group of people that played a huge role in history cannot vote, that automatically doesn’t mean that the government is keeping them from doing so simply because of conflicts that have happened in the past. It is the person’s fault.

An argument that I think someone could make to support a lifetime ban on voting for felons would be something along the lines of: They chose to commit this crime, they did the time in jail, but they still need to redeem themselves within our society. Taking their voice away will surely let others know that if you don’t follow the rules that we have set, and if you commit a crime, we are going to take away your rights as a citizen. We are going to silence you, make your opinion seem as if it doesn’t matter. I do think that those arguments are persuasive for some people, but not for others. I wouldn’t be convinced though, simply because I believe that you shouldn’t make people feel worthless. I guess that is just my own mentality.
I believe that those that have committed crimes do deserve to vote. Their opinions matter. They don’t deserve to be singled out simply because they did something wrong. Parents do that to their children all the time and that just results in more anger from the person. Ignoring is what is going to make the person angry and that is going to make the person want to commit more crimes just so they can get the attention that they want.
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 9:12 AM
People who have been convicted of a felony should not be allowed to vote. They have done bad things and aren’t benefiting our country , but instead making problems. If someone does bad and does their time, how can we ever be sure that they won’t do it again? There’s no way we can truly trust a criminal with voting for our leader.
This is a fair decision because these people are dangering our country, the reason we have jails and police officers. So it would make no sense to let them participate in our voting and help us choose who and who won’t be leading our country. Voting is a privilege, for people who work hard and affect our country in the best way possible. People with felonies don’t deserve to be apart of that because at one point they weren’t doing good and they need to pay for that. Consequences are made when you make mistakes, it’s part of life.
Once someone has paid their dues, and did their time then sure they should be handed the rights as any other citizen. They have proven that they know they’ve made a mistake and now it’s time to look past it and start fresh. Sure it’ll always be on their record but we can’t keep people punished for the rest of their lives if they put in their part to make things better. Anyway, where would that leave us? With less voters and unequal elections. We need our citizens if their willing to go that extra step.
To make an argument that supports a lifetime ban on voting for felons, we could say how they have done wrong to our country. Felonies are more serious crimes, it’s not something someone can just get over that fast. If people continue to get the same rights as everyone else, even after they’ve done something bad then they’ll never learn from their mistakes because nothing was truly taken away from them. A little bit of jail time is a punishment, but what lessons are learned? This argument supporting the lifetime ban on voting for felons could be persuasive depending on the person, but I don’t think it’d be enough to convince every person that it’s a good choice because there’s not real number facts to support. But I still think it’s a strong argument and a very debatable topic, that either side could win.
Every person deserves equal rights if they contribute to helping our country and care about what’s done. If people commit crimes and harm others then they shouldn’t expect to be treated equally because they aren’t being fair.
Dhalia Maldonado
Honors English Pd: 4
02/26/14
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 9:21 AM
Ashley Gaston
Period 4

People convicted of felony should be able to vote because voting is not a crime. Everyone should have the right to vote if they want to. I can understand if the government does not want them to vote for like 4 years after their felony but forever is a long time. People learn from their mistakes and maybe they made that mistake years ago. Now they want to become a better person and learn how to vote and make the country better. Not letting them vote is taking that chance away from them.
If you were in the position and you did time for a felony and now you’re out of jail. You want to make a change in your life and the first thing you do is vote. But when you walk up to the voting chamber and they have you filed in because you did time for a felony. The first thing you would get told is that you can’t vote because of the crime you did. You can’t change yourself because of what you have done in the past. I thought people were suppose to forgive others for what they have done.
How come in Mississippi you have done a felony just for passing down a $100 bad check to someone on accident maybe because it was given to you to cash. That’s not fair to the person it was given to, to cash it. They have to go through the process of putting themselves in jail and not being able to vote again. That’s a baby mistake though and now for the rest of their life they can’t vote.
In the voting process the soon to be president needs all the votes he can get. But if there is 6 million people being held back from voting he will only be getting the people who can only vote if they want to. Some of these felons might be the ones into politics and want to vote for the person in the lead. But the law says that you can’t vote if you have done time for a felony. Its not fair to the ones who have made mistakes and want to change the way of life.
Its not fair to some people because it might be forever until they vote and it might be the best person up there to be voted for and they can’t vote. It was a crime and they did do the crime but it might be something really small and it changes the whole voting process. In some states the crime isn't even worth taking voting away from the person. Voting should be allowed for whoever wants to vote.
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 9:22 AM
Tyra Harris
Ms.Wright
Period 4

I feel as if felons should be allowed to vote but only after they have spent their time in prison , like when they understand and have learned their lesson for what they have committed. Otherwise it really depends on the crime. According to the article The right to vote is any foundation of democracy. I dont think that is entirely right because its not really fair the person should just get in trouble but not banned for a lifetime.
The criminal in my opinion has paid their debt to society because sometimes people feel really bad for what they have done and sometimes the police and/or government accuse that person of something that they think they did which only happens in rare cases but its still not fair to do so. The person should be given the right to be a citizen again because its not like their a monster because everyone makes huge mistakes in their life and regret it and i’ve seen people regret what they have done and have actually proven that they are capable of being a good person again.
My resonse to Mr.Holders comment is that he is wrong in my opinion and he is proving the wrong facts because that was when discrimanation was in tact and how can he compare that its like saying that all african americans are felonies because they have commited a crime which is wrong because you’re only a felon when you have commited a felony ,a really dangerous crime that could lead to consequences for a lifetime.
Someone might say that a felon isnt allowed to vote because they are bad people and shouldnt be able to be a citizen anymore because they have committed a felony. they might make this agruement because they want the criminal to not do any more bad things that could affect them or their community and/or families.
Either way i still think that after someone has learned their lesson and have proved that they can be good again they should be allowed to vote because it wrong to hold someone for a whole lifetime if they arent gulity.
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 9:30 AM
Yadira Saldierna
Ms. Wright
Period 4
25 February, 2014

Deciding whether or not to let felons vote is a controversial issue. To think that people who may have committed a vicious crime could be the people that help decide our country’s future. A frightening thought for many Americans. It seems unfair to take away someone's rights as a citizen. Based on what the person has done, then possibly this may be an appropriate action to take.
Although many people are afraid of the fact for felons to vote, others supports felons to vote. For example, a quote from “Holder Urges States to Lift Bans on Felons’ Voting” by Matt Apuzzo states “as a vestige of the racist policies of the South after the Civil War, when states used the criminal justice system to keep blacks from fully participating in society” The author, Matt Apuzzo, goes on to compare the history of America’s voting policies. Before, men of color could not vote, then woman, and now felons. However, these people before us didn’t do anything that damaged society in any way whereas felons have.

When a felon has finished doing their time or punishment whatever they have done, it seems fair to let them vote, but the decision to let them vote should be at the discretion of a parole officer. Depending on how negative the felony they have committed should ultimately be the deciding factor. Felons may do their time but they may not have earned that right back. Few people may also argue that no person who has committed a felony should be allowed the right to vote. This is also wrong. No one should be able to strip someone of their rights. Although it is right to do so in some cases, it would have to be a major felony that harmed society in some very large way.

Currently an argue being made is by Mr. Holder. He says “echo policies enacted during a deeply troubled period in America’s past — a time of post-Civil War repression” This is not a good analogy. He says this because in Florida many African-Americans cannot vote. He compares this current issue to the past when African-Americans didn’t have the right to vote. During that time African-American were innocent and had done nothing wrong; on the other had, now African-American people have made a big enough offense to lose their right to vote.

Voting is a right many Americans have for being a citizen. Some citizens lose this right because they have done something harmful. This is the appropriate thing to do at times when someone has lost their trust to make great decisions. Whether or not someone has the right to vote is if they have earned the privilege of voting.
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 9:31 AM
DeNyah Russell
(Period 4]

People who are convicted of a felony should be able to vote. It takes away the freedom of being an American citizen. The law states that all legal citizens of the United States 18 years and older are allowed to vote. If a person commits a crime, that doesn’t mean that they are no longer an American citizen. If a person is a felon, political views play no role. They have a say so just like any other citizen. They vote for who they think deserves to run the country that they live in.

No right should be taking from a prisoner after they have been released from jail. If a person broke the law, what does that have to do with their participation in democracy and their political views? If it is a case where a person is convicted of a felon, like passing on a bad check, it would not be fair for the government to take away their voice when it comes to what they feel about politics. The government is basically taking away the rights of being a citizen.

After a complete term of parole, I do believe that those felons have paid their debt to society. It just the fact that the term, “..second chance of the rights to be a citizen..,” is a little off putting, because those felons are still citizens of the United States. After a felony is committed, the person that committed the crime doesn’t get kicked out of the country. As a legal United States citizen, the felons should be able to vote after serving their sentence.

As a result of treating felons like they aren’t citizens, and not giving them the same rights as everyone else, it is kind of like a backlash of when African Americans couldn’t vote. In this situation, the felons are the African Americans and the rest of the country is white. Though they are citizens, it is kind of like they aren’t citizens at all, due to they don’t have every right like everyone else.

Someone who would agree with felons not having the right to vote, would say something along the lines of: “Felons do not deserve to be treated as an American citizen if they cannot behave like one.” or “Felons do not know what they are doing! They will ruin our entire democracy.” These arguments could be convincing in many ways. They could explain to the American public that our felons are idiotic and will ruin our country with not knowing what they are doing, or who they are voting for. People will go along with this and look at the facts that felons put a bad name on our country, and in some cases, do not deserve to be referred to as an American.
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 11:02 AM
Isabel Martinez
Ms.Wright
Honors English A5/B5
26 February 2014

Yes people who convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote. They should be allowed to voted because if they already served their time in jail. They can leave the past behind and start fresh. Also, everyone should have a saying for the country no matter where they are. Everyone has a saying in who/what controls our country. Everything should be equal, so the people who convicted felons can vote as well.

No, somebody shouldn’t just simply give up the right to participate in our democracy by committing a felony at any point in life. Everyone is going to make a mistake at some point in life and some people learn from it. That shouldn’t mean to take away anything from them. People should still have their freedom. I think that it is unfair if you get banned if you have a $100 check. It’s unfair because not everything is going to be perfect and a check can always be rewritten. It is not that big of a deal and not a good reason to get banned from voting.

I think they did repay society. This is because they already did it by serving their time in jail. They are doing it by facing the consequences and learning from them. It is basically like an apology because they should know that when they get out, to never to what they did again. Yes they should get a second chance to the rights of being a citizen. Everyone deserves second chances, well in some cases. For this one, there should be a second chance because I’m sure the prisoners won’t want to go back. They would do whatever it takes since they know that jail is not fun.

I believe Mr.Holder is trying to compare it to the past. I don’t understand why they are only focusing on the African Americans. They should be allowed to vote no matter what. In those specific states, why are they only focusing on the african americans. Why don’t they do it to other races as well. I am sure the african americans who aren’t allowed to vote are angry because maybe they think that they are being racist to them.

There isn’t really a specific argument that someone could support to make a lifetime ban on voting for felons. Everyone makes mistakes like I said above; therefore, everyone would still be allowed to vote. They should have a right in saying because they are the ones who are living in that certain place. They would want the best for their country. Also, everyone should have equal rights and everyone should be treated the same.
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 11:17 AM
Gisela Cervantes
Wright
Honors English A/B 5
26, February 2014

I believe that felons should be allowed to vote. I don’t think that committing a crime should take away your freedom of speech. Even if you commit a felony you should be allowed to say whatever you want and vote for who you’d like. After all, you live in that state and have the right to say what you want for yourself and your family.
I don’t think that what they are doing in Mississippi is fair because it may have been a mistake. If it really was a mistake then they won’t be able to vote for their own future. Not only will they not be voting for their own future but for their loved ones. I don’t think that if people commit a felony they are giving up on the right to vote. I don’t even think they think about their participation in democracy at that time.
Another thing is that if that person has or is serving their time in jail then why shouldn’t they vote. They are being good citizens and are taking blame for their responsibility. Going to jail or committing a felony doesn’t change the person points of views in a political way. You can;t take a persons freedom and choose for them not to vote.
The most important thing is that they are still humans. They still have the same rights as any other person to say what they want and vote for who they want. We cannot deny them if they want to vote for their future. We cannot tell them they can’t if they want to better their future for themselves or loved ones around them. We cannot do anything if they want to do something because that is their freedom of speech.
A person can argue that taking away the power to vote is like taking away their power to say what they want for their future. I think these arguments can be very persuasive. I am sure a lot of people would agree that they wouldn’t want their future chosen for them. They would want to choose and vote for their own future. That is why Felons should be able to vote.
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 11:21 AM
Many people say that if someone does something wrong they should get punished or lose privileges. Then again many people are convicted of felony and less people mean less votes which mean less people will choose the way the world or the city would be runned. If less people are voting then we the people would not have a saying in that.
All people are not perfect, no one is and if they are they are lying to you. Everyone has made at least one mistake in their lives and if they haven’t they will one day. You might say it’s different to compare a little mistake to felony but, the difference isn't as big as someone thinks it is. Take a little kid for example; what does he do he steals candy from his sisters bedroom, yes it looks bad and he's probably going to get in trouble if they do find out. That does not mean he will get grounded, struck by with a wipe, and will not be allowed to leave the house until he dies.
A felon did bad things that is why he or she did time but, that does not give us the privileges to take everything away from them. They did their time and they payed for what they have done. Just like a little kid would have done; pay the consequences. Everyone in this world will have to pay for the bad that they have done. Many will get payed for the good they have done as well. On the contrary we can not take the rights of other people, even if they do not follow the laws. People have the right to vote under any circumstances.
Although people do do wrong they should still be allowed to decide what they want for their families and for the next generation to come. You might be saying but they did something wrong that was the cause for them to serve time in prison but, that is still their privilege as a human. We all have rights and voting is one of them we can’t take that away from anyone.
You see no one in this world is perfect not even me and you. We have done so many bad and wrong things that are considered “bad” like a felony. Just because we did that thing wrong or not on purpose that does not mean that they have to take my rights away. That's why felons should be allowed to vote.

Written By Marllery Juarez AB5
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 6:04 PM
Dear reader,

People who have committed felonies, and has been convicted, should not be able to vote. I say this because a felon’s crimes show who they are, and how much they are willing to create chaos in the country. This proves that not only the felony does not care about his actions, but also does not care about anyone of the law . Thus making that felon unable to vote.

There is a cut off point in the ability to vote privilege; it is the exact degree of the crime committed. For example, George has murdered five people in the week, and was arrested for it days later; he lost his right to vote and is in jail practically forever. Another is jimmy, jimmy has accidently wrote a check incorrectly to a company, the check was 100 dollars. The company notices, requests for his arrest. Now, he spends 6 months in jail, and when he gets out he has no voting privileges. George lost his voting privilege because he was a killer. But jimmy lost his voting privileges because he incorrectly wrote a check to a company. Which seems more obvious and guilty; the killer or the clumsy businessman? Clearly, the killer should have lost his right not the businessman.

I believe that Mr. Holders comment seems to bring in a situation that correlates with one big problem of unfair race treatment. Mr. Holder seems correct that felony labeling is unfairly placed on black/ African american citizens. In a world like this racism wasn't as obvious as it was in the past. And when this is brought up, I would completely agree that there is unfair convictions of races when there are crimes committed. I would believe this without proof because as us 9th graders at UIC college prep we have all been educated about residential segregation. Residential segregation separates races by neighborhoods, and shows the property value and income of white neighborhoods get better results while black neighborhoods get poor results.

The argument that a person could make is that the person who has committed the felony isn't responsible enough to vote. Ultimately taking away the privilege to vote. It’s like cause and effect; if you commit a felony, then you lose a fraction of your freedom in this country. And as a felony the punishment is indefinite because a felony is huge. The felon would be labeled and automatically judged as a poor choice maker, thus causing them to make irresponsible decisions. Voting is a right, and when you abuse that right with a felony then you cannot vote for the rest of your life.

I think these arguments are persuasive due to the fact of clear consequence cause and effect situations. For example, as a kid if you took candy that wasn't yours, the natural consequence was that you would not be trusted and allowed to have anymore candy. Same goes for the privilege to vote, if you commit a felony then you're not allowed to vote. Clearly there is a huge difference in the two situations, but the message i am trying to convey is the nature of consequence. But know, in my opinion, felony in my terms is perceived as something evil and huge. Murderers, bank robbers, rapists, and corrupt system personals are the people who deserve the consequence of not only life in jail but the right to is vote stripped from them.
Xe Cabrera-A5
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AnonymousFebruary 26, 2014 at 7:15 PM
I certainly believe that Felons deserve the right to vote after they are no longer incarcerated. I think after serving jail time, life after prison should serve as a new start. A place where you don’t have to be a criminal and you can move forward in life being a good person. In addition, a criminal, while having done something wrong in the past, is still a United States citizen and deserves to have rights like any other american does. Not only that, but there’s a chance they were falsely accused and it would be considered unfair if I person were not allowed to vote based on a logical conclusion made by some.

I believe Mississippi stance that any crime should result in a lifetime ban on voting is extremely flawed. Democracy is an american right that everyone no only has but deserves. As a free country, one that encourages starting over and moving on to the future, it is hypocritical for America to continue to punish free felons after their “punishment” has been served. This, however, does not mean that their past should be forgotten, but as an american citizen, everyone deserves any right that the constitution says is lawful such as freedom of speech and religion.

I also believe that after being released from prison they completely lose all debts they owe to society. Serving time is a punishment, there is usually no excuse for what they did, especially if it was a harrowing, selfish, or heinous act. However, this does not mean to say that their past mistakes should continue to haunt them and their lives. In the example of the one-hundred dollar fraudulent check given, it poses the question, what if that check was given by mistake? Does that mean that persons ignorance on the validity of the check make them a “bad person” and therefore need to be punished for the rest of their lives. I think not.

A common argument used to support this lifetime ban is “They did a crime therefore, they are a detriment to society and can no longer benefit it in any way”. This argument, however, is flawed. Being judged for the rest of your life based on one mistake you could have potentially made at a time early in their life. It’s a huge stigma in America, that being a felon means they have no respect for authority and will take the law as a joke “otherwise they wouldn’t break it” when that is not the case potentially.

~ Dawson McThay, PD. 4
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AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 5:42 PM
Destini Steward
Wright
Honors English Pd. 5
26 February 2014

I believe everybody should have the right to vote. I believe discriminating against convicted felons years after they have been released from jail is morally wrong. The felons have served their time in prison and should be allowed to vote. I somewhat understand why they would not be allowed to vote, but I think they should be allowed to.
That does not seem fair in the slightest. Though this crime is a felony, it should not prohibit one from voting for someone who will set the tone of the town. If you do not have the right to vote, you get no say in who is your governor or president etc. Like it was mentioned in the article, “The right to vote is the foundation of any democracy.” Voting gives people a sense of freedom, no one should not be able to vote.
I think prisoners have paid their debts to society by this time. They have fulfilled their duties, and should be considered citizens again. After they have done their time and completed their community service or whatever the task might have been, they should be able live life like regular people again. They still have a record, and whatever is on that record will stay there,permanently. I think their records and the time spent in prison was enough, and they don’t need anymore bad treatment.
I totally agree with Mr. Holder’s statement, because it is true. What is happening in those states, is nearly exactly what was happening in early America. During that time period, blacks and women were discriminated against, and weren’t allowed to vote. Now, convicts are getting the same treatment. America is slowly reverting itself backwards in time.
I think an argument someone could make would be saying that felons would have a different mind set. They are thinking in a different way, they only believe in violence and might vote the wrong people into office. Those arguments could be persuasive in way, but not persuasive enough. Just because they are felons, doesn’t mean they’ll vote the wrong people into office. Any ordinary person, with a “normal life” can vote someone into office, that shouldn't be there.
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AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 5:44 PM
MaryClaire Mangan
Honors English
A/B5
27 February 2014

I think that people who have committed a crime, or a felony should still be able to vote after they serve their time. I believe everyone has the right to vote. You are allowed to vote at the age of eighteen, which seems like a long time away because you are considered an adult by then. If you think about it, its only three years away, for some people four years. Even when you are at that age you can make a wrong decision in voting, so can people who have committed a crime.

I believe that anyone can make a poor decision while voting. It doesn’t matter who the person is or their background. When running for president, candidates always try and make themselves look good. They don’t want to make themselves look bad, then people wouldn’t vote for them. So, really anyone can be fooled by the things they say. Depending on whether or not they have been in jail or not, it doesn’t matter we all see what is given to us.

I also believe that people who have committed a crime should be able to vote, because no matter what the crime is, they already served their time. If they choose to vote when they get out of jail, they should. If they aren’t allowed to vote, that is taking away their freedom, and if their freedom is taken away there is really no point of them leaving jail. These people end up suffering for their consequences in jail. Why should they continue to suffer after they already have?

They are taken away of all freedom when committing a crime. There are certain amounts of time a person has to serve depending on what they did. If someone still thinks they shouldn’t be able to do things after jail, then what’s the point of leaving? If they take away for a former criminal to vote, they could possibly start to take away more rights from that person, then it affects all people.

I think it’s very possible for this to happen because then, former criminals could get used to the fact of not voting. If this happens, they might want to take away more rights from these people, and they would get used to that. If more and more is taken away, the less freedom a person has. In a free country, people should live the way they want, with the exception of few things. If a person chooses to supposedly vote for the wrong person, it’s their choice, no one can predict what they will do for our country anyways. There can’t really be a bad answer since voting is a matter of opinion.
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AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 6:05 PM
Gabriela Marin
Ms. Wright P. 3
I believe that people that have committed felonies should be able to vote because they still have the right to vote. Also, if the governments don't let felonies vote it would be like taking away their right to vote and the felonies are in a free country. I also believe that there are second chances because if the person that has committed a crime really deeply regrets it than I don't see why they still have to be punished. Felonies are still people and humans who do mistakes because who hasn't done a mistake in their lives? Although, some felonies don't regret what they have done, those are the people that shouldn't be allowed to vote. Why punish the people that actually want to rebuild their lives for people who simply don't care anymore?
On the other hand, while I believe that some felonoes do deserve a second chance; I do agree with the government of Mississippi because if the person has already robbed from their own country, than that means that the person doesn't care about what happens in their country. I think it is fair because it would be wrong to let a person make a decision on what will happen on their country if they have already done something wrong to harm its country. It will also be right on what the state is doing because no one wants help from a person that has betrayed them by stealing from their own hometown. In my opinion I do agree because it would be like having help from a traitor and you never now if the person that has betrayed you will actually help you.
I do believe felonies should be given a chance to society, but only the good ones that want to rebuild their lives. I want felonies who want to rebuild their lives and go on with life to be able to have a second choice because they have seen their mistakes and know what they have done wrong. On the other hand, the felonies that don't want to be good and keep on going int eu wrong path than yes they shouldn't be treated good by society because all there doing is hurting their country. Also, when felonies actually have paid what they owe it means that they are sorry for what they've done to hurt their community. Many prisoners actually stay in jail, pay their debt, or fullfill their parole because they have recognized their mistakes and want to fix what they have done. After, fixing their mistakes prisoners ask for a second chance and many people don't see what they have done to want a second chance in life.
My response to Mr. Harold's comments is that I sort of agree with him because when he states about the conflict of not letting prisoners vote it's almost the same as when society didn't let African Americans vote. In other words he means that society is treating prisoners as minors for what they have done. I guess I agree with him because he is right that when they are not letting prisoners vote it's like when they didn't let the African Americans vote because if what they are. Mr. Harold is basically saying that since prisoners have done something wrong it has marked them for life so they don't have the right to do certain things because they might not take it seriously. In a way Mr. Harold is right because society is treating people as when they treated African Americans because society is not believing that prisoners will be actually able to make right decisions when voting.
An arguemeant that someone could make is that taking the right of prisoners to vote is taking their right to do anything because of something they have done and paid for. I believe it would be persuasive because America is a place where people should have a voice and the right to do things. If taking the voice if prisoners and their right to vote it will mean that the prisoners don't have a right anymore or a voice and they are told what to do and what not to do.
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AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 8:19 PM
First of all, people who convicted of felonies should be able to vote. Why they should be able to vote is because it would be taking away a part of there freedom. People who convicted of felonies already served there time, so why make them pay for it later on. The prisoner's vote would be nothing.
Also, someone shouldn't give up the right to participate in the demcracy by committing a felony at any point in life. It's a silly thing to do. What happens when its still an accident; well, you give up the privilege to vote. This is basically not fair if it was an accident. The so called "prisoners" should be given a second chances at this.
Then, when the prisoners has fulfilled their term, they should be given a second chance. Maybe they learned their lesson. Also, they served their time; so, they should be finished. They are basically stuck with there crime for ever. When its paid its paid, nothing more.
The comment from Mr. Holder is a thing from the past. It can be changed into something fair. Other than that, I am not a big fan of his comment. This was an old era that he was talking about and it is two thousand fourteen. Things have to change, especially the era he is talking about.
Finally, a argument I think someone could make to support a lifetime ban on voting for felons is that these are bad people and they should have thought of there actions before they have done their crime. I think this argument ia persuasive because some people are not bad people and they just did it by accident. Another reason is that this rule is old and needs to be changed. People are certainty disagreeing with this because this affects good people as well. But for the people who did serious crime should follow this rule.

Rolando Sifuentes
English P4

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AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 8:30 PM
Written by: Andrea Aguilera
Honors Algebra Pd. 4

I think that felons should have the right to vote. Voting is a privilege that not everyone can obtain, but it is okay to give people second chances who haven’t done good things in the past. Although not everyone who came back from prison change, but most people do and they just want to have a better life for themselves. By obtaining a better, normal life, they should be allowed to vote because they are people with their rights. Felons are still people even though they have done something bad in their past. If everyone who has done a mistake in the past gets punished like felons do, than there would be no one voting. One way for felons to get their life back on track is by voting.
Personally, I don’t think that is fair at all. Because a person isn't able to pay something, they are taken away the right to vote? That doesn't make any sense. By doing this, this could be persuading more Republicans’ votes, because they are the people who have more money. This gives the government a way to influence the votes they want by eliminating the voters who will change the president who is elected.The article states, “The right to vote is the foundation of any democracy,” so if the government is changing votes in the slightest way, it is not fair and shows that we have a poor democracy.
I think that they should be given a second chance. Everyone deserves second chances. If we, the everyday normal people, didn't get second chances for the mistakes we have made and were punished for them, where would be? Humanity is awful, we judge others but never judge ourselves. Felons should be given a chance because each one of them is different; some of them could have better intentions than others. Although I realize that there still may be felons who are bad, we can’t judge all of them based on the negative only.
I think that I do agree with what Mr. Holder said. He was saying that the African Americans were not allowed to vote, and that a similar thing is happening with felons. Others discriminate against felons, but we shouldn't. Just because they have done something wrong, doesn't mean that they should be stripped of their right to vote, no one should. But, I can also see that the intensity of a crime done can change whether a felon should vote or not.
I think that if a felon killed a large group of people or even just one person very cruelly, than that person shouldn't be allowed to vote. I say this because it could influence them to vote on some things that could harm and problems to others. Such as, the right to bear arms, but they could abuse that. My opinions are based on past incidents which should be prevented by not allowing only the cruelest of felons to not be able to vote. Incidents, such as the movie shooting in Colorado, can be prevented if the felons who committed those types of crimes are not allowed to vote.
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AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 8:31 PM
To the very end, it’s all about forgiveness. Should felons be absolved for their crimes, or should they be forever stripped of the basic rights of US citizens? I believe the felons should have the right to vote. Even Though they committed serious crimes, the felons already payed off their jail times, which are probably very long. They deserve to live normally as a citizen after paying off their debts. The past should not stick with someone forever, and people, even felons, need to move on with life.
After a felon live off their sentence in jail, I believe they should be able to live as a normal citizen. One mistake in their lives should not stick to them for lifetime. I believe it’s rather inhumane to punish an individual for this one incident in their lives forever. I believe the Mississippi policy has too many faults. For example, what does it mean when someone passes a bad check? Also, there are probably numerous ways people can get around this policy, making it ineffective.
After they are paroled, prisoners should be given a second chance. As stated in the text, “The right to vote is the foundation of any democracy.” It wouldn’t be a democracy if people are stripped of the right to vote. This applies to felons as well. They deserve the right to vote as any other citizen. Moreover, there are probably better ways to prevent prisoners from committing future crimes than removing their right to vote.
Attorney General Holder is making a good point. The way we are banning people of the right to vote now is no different than the troubled past where free blacks were stripped of their rights. The government is again trying to prevent certain communities from voting, using convictions as a justification. Like the past, this will only result in revolts and conflicts.
People will argue that felons does not deserve basic rights as others. They broke the law; and therefore, they should not be part of the society. I believe it’s a reasonable claim. There is no guarantee that felons will not commit future crimes when they are paroled. In fact, they are probably likely to continue to break the law. Hence, people are reluctant to fully trust felons even after their sentence.
Andy Xu
period 5
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AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 8:53 PM
Daniel Sebastian Vazquez

Ms.wright

A4/B4

2/27/2014

Yes I do believe that felines should be able to vote only if they committed a minor crime. So a person who committed a crime which involved death or robbery anything that endanger another persons life should not be able to vote. These people should not be able to vote because they either took a life or attempt, which will be the same as taking someones right to live. But others who committed a crime that did not indanger any lives should not be restricted if thier right to vote. In some cases yes felines should be able to vote and in some no they should not.

I believe that not be able to vote for passing a 100$ bad check is unfair. I believe this because a person can not always no how much they have in their bank account. Also it is a small crime which should be handle with a fine because it is such a small matter. A crime like this can be easily resolved and does not need any other consequence.Also to take someone right to vote for a matter that is simple as 100$ is unfair. This is because taking away a right they have based on the constitution just for a simple matter in unfair.

As I said in my first paragraph i do believe that felines should be given the chance to vote only if they did not commit a severe crime. I believe this because if a person done a severe crime then that crime needs a severe punishment. People might argue that staying in jail is a severe crime. Yet i disagree because once you are in jail you sever your time or you can get bailed out. Once that happens you are free to do anything again without any major affect on your life. Yes people might argue that it goes on your record making it hard to get a job. Yes i do agree with that except at the same time you can get in expunged meaning wiped clean a brand new start.

My responded to Mr.holder is that yes I do believe that based on american past history that deeply troubled this period. I believe this because our country has went through hard times, Theses hard time might have caused the different states to make such a sver law. They probably created this law to hold order and justice of their place and of the people. This can make people see that if they try to take advantage of the system or if they commit a crime they should expect a severe punishment. This will scare people and uphold the law a bit more that usual.
I think some arguments people will make to support a life time band for felines to vote are going against the law. this could mean how it would be unfair that a person can go against the law and have no severe consequences.Also people will say how a person who has committed a severe crime can just do it again right after they have gotten out of jail.I do believe theses arguments a very persuasive. i believe this because people are saying that a person that got out of jail can commit the same crime once again or even a greater one. Also how a person can go against the law and have no real consequence is unfair.
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AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 9:56 PM
Written by Armando Quintana Period 4

By reading the articles provided the topic of letting felons vote is an issue that is being debated. In addition, many states have restrictions that strip away felons of their right to vote. Even though a felon repays his or her debts back to society, they are still stripped from their right to vote. Worst case scenario felons can be stripped from their right to vote for life. I believe felons should have the right to vote only if they have paid their debts back to society, and have served their punishment. Although Mr. Holder has had his shares in many issues, I agree that it’s some what similar to the civil war. Lastly I believe that there isn’t a good argument for supporting banning felons for voting for life.

If someone commits a felony it’s not an excuse to strip away their right to vote. When a person commits a felony it’s permanently established on their record. Which makes a person with a record hard to trust, that's why jobs that hire people often turn down people with records. In addition, I believe when it comes to taking someones right to vote it has to depend on the magnitude of the felony that the person committed. For example, in Mississippi there is a law that bad checks are considered a felony, thus stripping the right to vote to whoever commits this felony. I find that Mississippi's law isn’t fair people make mistakes, but that doesn’t give them the right to take the right to vote away from a person.

I believe the whole purpose of having a federal law system in society is to punish those who break the law. The system puts those who break the law in jail, so they can repay their debts to society. In addition, I believe once a person convicted of a felony has fully repaid his or her debts they should have the right to vote. I believe felons should be given a second chance because not all felons are going to stay bad and break the law once more. Some felons change for the better good and should be given a second chance. When it comes to giving felons the chance to vote I believe there should be a limit of felons a person can commit.

I agree with Mr. Holder’s statement, that the issue of the right to vote is similar to the events of the civil war. The part that I kinda disagree with is I don’t believe the law of the taking the right to vote is specifically targeting people of color. I believe this law is not targeting anyone based on their color of their skin, but those who commit crimes. I agree that this issue is similar to the civil war, but not identical because the issue in both cases is the law is violating people’s rights. In addition, I don’t believe the law of felons being stripped of their rights to vote is targeting those of color, but those who commit crime or felonies in general. Lastly I this current issue is similar, but not identical to the civil war because both issues are violating people’s rights.

I can see someone have the argument that people who commit felonies are not to be trusted with the right to choose a leader for our country. So, thats why a person would believe their right of voting should be taken away because they find it difficult to trust someone that has had trouble with the law. I think if someone were to make this argument it wouldn’t be very persuasive. Due to the fact that not all people who have been convicted of a felony are ultimately not trustworthy. Some people could have been accused for a felony that they did not commit. Those who are convicted of a felony would most likely have paid their debts to society, which should entitle them to another chance at a normal life. Lastly not all of the felons are bad so to speak, felons change their way of life for the better good. So, it’s not right to have the mentality that all felons are not to be trusted because at the end of the day not all felons are bad.
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AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 10:13 PM
People who are convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote after the time they serve. The felons have already served harsh punishment as a consequence of their crime, so it wouldn’t make sense to take away their right of voting for something they paid off for. Taking away a privilege or right usually results in an inevitable reaction or lashback. Through that, there is a clear sense of distrust and doubts from the states that disallow felons voting. This invalidates the use of imprisoning people if they are forced to be in jail, but still have no option to vote.

Morally, I think no one gives up the right to participate in the United States’ democracy just for committing a crime. Different states have different laws that are adapted to how the population is. What the law prohibits is not exactly what others view as reasonable, so people might do things that they deem reasonable, only later to be locked up and never have the right to vote for it. I believe the lifetime ban on voting in Mississippi for a bad check of $100 is punishable, just not felony-worthy. It’s fair to fine them for a fraudulent amount of money, but the law putting a permanent notice of such action shouldn’t happen.

Prisoners who’ve been released from jail after such hefty punishment have paid their debt to society. They’ve fulfilled the consequences of the actions they shouldn’t have done. There is no need to further penalize the prisoner for the rest of their lives for something they already suffered for. As Mr. Holder said in his argument for his repeal for the Department of Justice, the state laws “defy the principles — of accountability and rehabilitation — that guide our criminal justice policies.” Restating what Holder said, he’s pretty much saying that state laws have no faith in people making themselves better - which is a pessimistic view.

On Mr. Holder’s comment on one in five African Americans being unable to vote, he is making a connection back to discrimination and unequal rights of African Americans. Although you can make a fair argument that Africans are having their voting privileges taken away, it is not due to race. Crimes and felonies are committed by people who do not follow the law, so there must be consequences for their actions. Oppositely, law prohibited rights exclusively for the African Americans, making it racist. I can't say I agree with Holder's comment for this, as the matter is about criminal consequences, not racial consequences.

An argument that someone who supports a lifetime ban for felons to vote would have to go back on the crimes and felonies committed. If you’re someone who commits a crime, who’s to say you won't vote for someone that supports your crime? Being someone with a negative mindset on politics and government can easily choose to vote for someone who other can see as unfit to run their job. I personally think those kinds of arguments are opinionated and also do not support the idea of rehabilitation and redemption of felons. I choose to believe that criminals have learned their lesson through conviction and punishment, so it’d be pointless to use a felon’s past to prohibit their future rights.

Written by Charles Chan, Period 5
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 6:02 AM
Isabella Velazquez
Ms. Wright P:5

I do believe that people who have been convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote. the reason why I say this is because in all reality they have already served their time for the crime they committed. It is not like you could hold that against them all their lives. If you do do that that is exactly what you will be doing you will be taking away their privilege to be free ,and talk and give their opinion. Therefore, that is not right under any circumstances because we all have a right to speak and if voting is their way of speaking or to get people to listen then they should be allowed to do so.

I believe is this unfair because in that moment of committing this crime they did it for one reason or another but once they serve their time it should not be held against them any longer. They are free citizens and by taking away their privilege to vote it is taking away a part of their freedom. How would you feel is somebody took your freedom? I am almost positive you would feel very mad and angry about it. I understand they committed a felony ,but it is not like you should punish them for a mistake they made in their life. everybody makes mistakes right?

Also, I do believe they have paid their debt because they have had to sit in a small room and not do much moths or even maybe years it all depends while we are out in the world doing whatever we want. they have been trapped and removed of many privileges while we have been blessed to be able to experience these privileges. Then, they should be given a second chance I think about as if they made a mistake everybody deserves a second chance to prove himself worthy or better. It is the right thing to do; and, if you can't do that then you need to analyze the situation very carefully.

I do not agree with Mr. Holder because he is saying that because they held african americans back from experiencing their experiences they rebelled. Besides,this is not true because if it was then all African americans would be in jail and they are not or would have been at some point in their lives. It could be for a number of reasons;also, it could just be they made a mistake or were going through a rough time in their lives. You cannot make assumptions about big events like this you have to be able to back it up.

The argument I could make is exactly how would they feel if they got their right to vote taken away for them for the rest of their lives? I am sure that if not all ,but at least one would say they would fight for it back. If that is what they want; consequently, they just have to know and be prepared that if people disagree with their decision they will fight for their rights. Although, this might be vague I do believe this is a persuasive argument because it makes them wonder and think to themselves and ask do they really want to go through so much trouble just so they could take a away a right and privilege that all citizens have. Finally, it does not seem right to punish them for the rest of their lives.
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 11:40 AM
Andres Davalos
People of felonies should not be allowed to vote at all because they have caused danger to the environment to our nation. When a person commits a felony they are really making effects on a certain area or group like stealing money from the government and making people in danger of themselves. When you're a feline you seem like a maniac and a very bad person in people's view because you have been to jail. I really hate being by a felon because they don't mean good and they can't be trusted because in jail it's a whole different story and people would be changed in the sight of a jippy. The fact that a person knew what they are doing they should also know what's right from wrong.
Yes someone does give up their right to vote in the democracy one they have committed a felony. When committing a felony they have made their voice not count and also have given up the right of being free. When you see a criminal they just believe that their free when in reality they knew they did wrong. The right in Mississippi is correct because a person must know what's wrong and they have to realize what they are doing. I see that they are trying to get something they need but they have made a mistake that Mississippi clearly stated was illegal in law.
No a person doesn't really change even though they have fulfilled their parole. A person never changes if they are forced to that's why when there is a crime people always look at your record and don't believe that they are really changed. A person must earn their way back up to society because they have just bece on the watch. I only see a person change when they made the decision to change because they have to make that initiation. Being a citizen means being a loyal person to society and once you're a felon you lost your rights and can never be given the second chance.
Mr.Holder is wrong in his decisions but he is a very old time man. Post Civil War oppression was back then when many African Americans didn't have their rights or even a voice. I only see this today that many African Americans were convicted for something that isn't now correct in our society and that's not correct to strip them for what we now know is incorrect. Even though Mr.Holder is suppose to only know about wars he knows that they were fighting for the rights of getting everybody free. Our general has a huge voice in this community and world and Mr. Holder is knowledgeable to the fact that he knew what the African Americans went through to fight for their rights.
People like me would say that once a convict always a convict and that can never change. A lifetime ban only comes because of the danger that a person has brought upon themselves and they now have a bad reputation and a bad title. I only see a real life person that has committed a felony to become a forever on the radar man for any situation because they are never cured in reality. I think these arguments are persuasive because they are very catchy and show that a person doesn't change unless they want to. Once again the only person able to make the decision to vote is the person himself because this is a democratic world and that's what matters.
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 12:16 PM
John Capers
Those who commit felonies will have to serve a few years to life in prison. They have been staying in a cell for a long time and once they are out and on parole it can be assumed by them that life outside won’t be as normal as they think. What if you committed a felony such as assault, you go to jail and come out a better person than before and now you just want to become part of the economy and help your country. But wait, you realize that you can’t vote for anyone who runs for president, mayor, governor, or any political position. You can’t be part of the changing and be a benefactor to making your country better. The first feeling may be anger or resentment towards yourself and/or the nation’s justice system; in addition, you feel that you can’t keep the goal of making a better country because you can’t decide it’s fact with millions of others. Then crime will set back in to rebel against the justice system and you’re back in jail. I say it is unfair for felons to receive such punishment after already doing a punishment by being in jail. They have the right to vote.

It really doesn’t seem right to mark someone a felon for something as minor as bad checks because there is a possibility that it was just a mistake. We don’t exactly know until we interrogate the person and even then there’s the chance that if they did do it on mistake that they be charged for that felony. There has to be a system that the government can create for all states to follow. States will still have their own felonies, but may be lesser as there are do’s and don’ts. May create some friction between state and federal governments, but I believe it can work out in the end to benefit everyone.

In addition to the list, it may be better for some governments to realize that these felons, once they are released from prison, have already served their time. So if they served their time and changed for the better, then would it not make sense to say you can’t vote for that felony. Personally, if I were to hear someone say that after serving years of prison time and going through this change of becoming a better person only to hear my right to vote is gone, I would be outrage. I can’t decide the fate of my country, state, or city to make it better place for everyone? I can’t help put someone in power that I believe can help not only myself, but others? This would only create more crime because the feeling of being cheated for already doing crime and serving the time given by the justice system. I understand a parole no voting policy as to make sure I don’t do it again, but a lifetime is taking it too far!

On the contrary to Holder’s belief I don’t think it is a matter of racial reasons for African-Americans being in prison for felons. They committed the crime on their own free will and deserve prison time. I think Holder may be focusing on the fact that we, after slavery and the end segregation, are still still using a system that was used for blacks post-Civil War. It might seem fair as it is now extended to everyone. Moreover, this is similar to black rights and now extends to American rights where voting is a right for everyone and to take it away from someone who does crime and serves time is similar to discrimination to a certain race. Holder could actually be saying that, like the blacks, we are discriminating against people and taking their rights as if they were of different origin from our democracy.

I don’t really see someone being persuasive with this topic. Committing a crime and losing the right to vote doesn’t have a connection in any sense. This policy seems more like an unfair attempt on the government needing to discriminate against a group of people, possibly those who have this hatred, or general dislike, towards everyone being free and only a selective percent of the population being eligible to all benefits of an American.
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 12:59 PM
Written By: Estrella Olivares Period 4

People convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote. Felons might have done really bad things in the past, but they are still citizens and deserve to vote. If the right to vote is the foundation of any democracy, why are 6 million Americans denied to that right? I agree that felons need a punishment, but isn’t that why they had to serve their time? As soon as felons come back to our society, then they have the same equal rights as every citizen which includes voting.
I don’t believe someone gives up the right to participate in our democracy by committing a felony at any point in their life. Voting gives people a sense of freedom that they don’t ever want to get rid off. Passing a $100 bad check carries a lifetime ban from voting in Mississippi seems unfair. Not being able to vote for the rest of your life takes the desire of being a citizen. Whats an American without voting?
As soon as prisoners are released from jail, they have paid their debt to society. If they didn’t, they would still be in jail. I honestly believe that serving time in jail is a big punishment. A punishment that probably convinced felons that they shouldn’t do anything that might make them go back. Taking the felons’ right to vote is punishing them after their punishment.
My response to Mr. Holder’s comment would be that: it isn’t right to compare the present to the past. Back then African Americans didn’t have the right to vote. Now, felons don’t have the right to vote either. Nobody should be kept from being a part of society. Every citizen should be given the same equal rights.
A lot of people might say that felons have lost their privilege of voting ever since they did what they did. People chose to do bad, so now they have to suffer the consequences. The reason why people do crimes is because they don’t care about what's going on in their society, so why make them a part of it by letting them vote. People think just like this, but I actually believe in the equality of rights.
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 1:28 PM
Written by: Remi Moy A5/B5

Felons shouldn’t be turned down their right to vote because voting has nothing to do with what crime they have done. Also it goes against what the 14th Amendment which grant people the right to vote. In addition, felons may have a different view on politics and may strictly abide by them. Additionally, if this becomes a nationwide thing this can result into neglect the right to vote for other categories, which may become a problem.

For one person commit a felony like giving out bad checks should be right. The crime isn’t really very serious like murder. Also, it doesn’t give the person a second chance because this isn’t much of a serious crime. Lastly, the penalty for that crime is way too harsh to be given lifetime for not voting.

I say yes they should because they have paid their debt and have served their time. Also it is childish to hold a grudge against that person because it has been years now it’s over. Like I said before their voting views are from their crime activities so why hold that grudge? Lastly, the rule if it was would be fair enough and would be the most just.

Mr. Holder can be possibly correct in saying that and do again with the society probably mocking what happened in the Civil War. It more similar though because in historic times blacks weren’t granted civil rights because of their color; similarly, now felons are getting their rights taking away because of way crime they did no matter if big or as we may see it to be small. Mocking previous things such as what in the past is not understandable to be me, in my opinion.

Someone might say that those felons won’t even care about not being able to vote because they are probably careless people. Another argument would be that felons may to have vote privileges taken away because they are showing bad example of poor decisions. These claims would be persuasive in my opinion because they are not strong explanation on why felons should not vote.

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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 1:38 PM
People who have been convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote after they serve their time for society. We live in a nation where people’s voices should be heard in order to know what is best for the country. If we do not get everybody’s opinion on a topic, then it will be hard to know what to do. If not everybody in our country is able to vote for who they want as a government official, we could say that the person who does win the election may not have won fairly because not everybody was able to vote.

It is not fair for the people who were convicted of felonies. Because of one little mistake, these people’s whole lives are ruined. I believe that committing a felony and voting are two totally different things, therefore, they should not be grouped together. That is like receiving a bad test score on Algebra, but your English grade is the one that goes down. It does not make sense for the government to make a felon serve his time in jail, but also taking away his right to vote. These felons will vote for the people that they believe is the best one for the country. The person who is fit to serve for the country, will win the election that he or she takes part in.

After these felons have served their time in jail, I believe they have redeemed themselves. What else can these people do to pay back what they have taken? If you take away their right to vote, you will be punishing them for something that they did not abuse. If someone has finished serving their time, they should not be told that they cannot vote. They will be wondering why this has happened? You will be punishing them, and then punishing them again. You first took away their freedom by putting them in jail, then you take away their right to vote; that is very unfair. Voting in the United States should be given to all, no matter what they have done. It is a way of expressing what they want.

The government believes that felons will make voting into a crime. I believe that there is no harm in voting. Just like Mr. Holder stated, these policies are restricting people for unnecessary reasons. Just as I said before, voting is a way of expressing what you want. These felons will vote for what they want. Even if they do not take the voting seriously, I am sure that the other people will vote for what is right. The winner of the voting will be something that the majority will want.

People might think that it is scary voting next to someone that has committed a serious felony. But when it comes to voting, they are just like you and I. They just want to get their vote to what they think is right. Nobody should stop them from speaking in a country of democracy. Everybody should have the right to speak their mind. If I was a felon, I would feel like I am being treated unfairly after I have served my time in jail. Even though I did horrible things as felon, I should be given respect after i have served my time. People should be respecting felons. If these felons do not get the right to vote, that would be very unfair.

~Jor-El Santos Pd. 4
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 2:01 PM
Carlos Laureano
P4

I believe convicted felons should have the right to vote. I say this because because in my opinion this is a form of discrimination. Just because these people have made mistakes in the past, does not mean they will be this way forever. There are people who realize what they are doing is wrong and these people change their ways. If you begin taking these people’s rights away, for example voting, this isn’t fair and it may make them more prone to commit future crimes. If a convicted felon is an American citizen they should have the right to vote.

I do not believe someone gives up democracy just because they made a mistake in their life. If someone does something against the law they should just serve their time, and their rights outside of prison should be unaffected. Just because someone is a convicted felon does not mean they have an opinion. If you take away their right to vote, you’re basically taking away that opinion and saying it doesn’t matter. The law in Mississippi is completely unfair. The person should not have a lifetime ban from voting, especially if they didn’t physically hurt someone.

After prisoners have served their time in prison, I do not believe they have paid their debts from society however. Just because they spent time in prison as a felon, does not change the fact that what they did was wrong. If someone is a felon they should have to earn their right to vote back, for example by doing community service you’re paying back society. Even though what they did was probably very serious I still believe they shouldn’t have their right to vote stripped from them.

I believe Mr.Holder has a good point. I don’t understand why todays policies should reflect policies of a past century. Times have changed and all people should have the same rights.
What I don’t understand is why are the African-Americans being targeted. They have as much of a say in our government as white people. Even if they are convicted felon they should still have the right to vote.

An argument someone could make to support a lifetime voting for felons is just saying they don’t deserve the rights. Some people believe voting is a privilege and only certain people should have the ability to vote. I disagree with this because i believe anyone who is a citizen of America should be able to vote. This is the same case for felons. The best way to understand the situation is by putting yourself in their shoes. If you made a mistake in your life would you want someone telling you can’t vote, even your a changed person?
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 2:29 PM
Jazmin Juarez A5
People convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote. They are American and as long as they stay in the United States they should have a voice. It is not fair to loose a right that should be of the people and for the people. However, people should take responsibility for their actions and if they do something face the consequences. This “punishment” of losing their vote is not fair because everyone deserves two chances. In the state of Mississippi passing a $100 bad check carries a lifetime ban from voting. passing a $100 bad check is not a big crime, yet it can be punishable by the law to the point of in some states taking away the right to vote.

It does not seem right because just one mistake can lead you to be voiceless for a life time. Voting should not be taken away so easily, after all it is one of the things that our ancestors fought for. By taking away voting we are basically throwing away the right that holds democracy together. Felons already served their time as punishment for the crime they committed, so they shouldn't be punished again.

After the prisoners leave jail and are supposedly free they should not owe society anything, for they have already paid their price. After coming out of jail it should be their recommen to join the society. Not being able to vote is a form of restricting freedom. They should be given another chance because they shown their repayment and arepentment.

I believe that in an area where there was a lot of racism there most likely still is. Because Florida, Kentucky and Virginia were at one point slave states they for a fact made this law so that most blacks would not be able to vote, yet some white people were also unable to vote with this law. I would have to agree with Mr. Holder because there used to be a lot of laws that were made so that people (minorities) could lose their voting rights. Other examples of these laws are being able to read and write, and having your grandfather being an American Citizen.

Other people can argue that felons are horrible people who will continue to break the laws if they allowed to. I don’t see any other reason why they shouldn't be allowed to vote. Crimes like rape, murder and harassment can be considered very controversial and may influence the government to not let them vote. Felons should be allowed to vote because even the most serious crimes are legally paid for by serving their time at jail.

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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 2:34 PM
Made by

Adam De La Torre

Pd 4

I believe that convicted felonies should be allowed to vote because in what harm are they going to conduct if they have the permission to vote. Why are we going to prohibiting the felonies from not voting if they do get released it could be for good behavior or that they didn’t commit a big crime for them to be taken the privilege away. How is that when you go to jail you will lose the privilege from voting in the united states how are jail and voting related. Its like the government are try to have a separation from the “felons” from the good civilians.

I believe that is not because how could someone not be allowed to vote only for doing something very minor of using 100 dollars that they may not have. If by any chance someone does something that actually can affect the voting or animation then yes because they are tampering with the election. Why would someone be allowed to vote if they couldn’t do something fair i could understand but paying 100 dollars that someone might or might not have known they don’t have is not a reasonable reason why someone could get banned from voting.

I do believe that they should be allowed to be a citizen isn’t that the reason why the guards are letting the prisoner is being let go? I do believe they should be given the second chance to become citizen because as many say everyone deserves a second chance after the second chance and they actually didn’t change well then you can’t trust that person because they seem like they won’t change. But yes the prisoners should be allowed to become one of use again because no one knows what they went threw so people actually has to be understanding.

I do believe that there are people who are trying to prevent certain people from getting involve in certain things that the government. I think that the government still tries to have the “low people” away from the people who are the superior. What im saying by that is that the people that im saying are the low people or low class are colored people and the superior people that i'm trying to say is the white people because mostly society thinks that the white people are better than others.

An argument that someone should say is that how does getting behind bars related to voting in any shape or form. Why are the government trying to take away something that everybody has the privilege. That’s why in the constitution that everybody has the right of freedom of speech and that's how people are able to speak to the government by voting . If the government is trying to take away our way to have a voice of something then they should be arrested as well because they are going against the constitution. I do believe that this will be persuasive because i don’t only implement my idea but also used the constitution in my favor.
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 2:35 PM
Alejandra Gutierrez
Period 4

I think felonies should have the right to vote. They may have committed crimes, but it was probably for a good reason. Everyone has a right and they should have, at least, the right to vote. Their opinions matter too. They're people too and they should vote.

Democracy is like having freedom. If you take away their democracy you're taking away their freedom. They shouldn't give up their democracy. They're people too. They may have committed a crime, but it must have been for a good reason.

After prisoners are released from jail and have paid their paroles in jail they have paid their debt in society. All killers aren't that mean. They do deserve a second chance. Their crime could have been for a good reason. They might have had to protect the ones they love. Everyone deserves a second chance, as well do they.

I believe Mr.Holders comments are wrong. Why do only African-Americans cant do things? They have rights too. It doesn't matter about their race. Were all equal.

A life-time ban on voting for felonies is that they probably don't care. Some felonies might care, but the majority of them don't. They may have other rights, but voting probably isn't one of them. They might be careless felons.
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 2:53 PM
In my opinion, I feel that only sometimes it is okay to take away someone's right to vote. It only applies to people of serious cases like a murder, assault, or even a massacre. If these felons were caught doing these illegal crimes, than they go against the law. So why ,then, should they try to vote. Clearly the did not like the system of our government and so they go and commit crimes.

In the case of the Mississippi life ban of voting, due to bad checks, it seems a little too far. I feel that the government and authorities waste their time focussing on less dangerous crimes. If you think about it, one bad check is not worth losing a persons life. What if a hostage situation was happening at a bank, while authorities try to hunt down a forgery of checks. Of all the things to take away for one bad check, why does it have to be the felon’s rights. They can simply be put in jail for some time depending on how much they forged on checks.

As I mentioned before, the rights should only be taken away depending on the level of seriousness crime. If a person is done serving time for fraud checks, then the should be sent out and pay to vote. However if the felon killed someone, then they should not be permitted to vote. It would not make sense to let someone that broke the law to get off that easy. If they want to their vote to count, then they have to pay.

I guess I sort of believe his comment, but I think that it is not his fault. In the civil rights movement, many Afro-american people wanted the freedom to vote. Yet in reason years, many of the have showed society that they can’t be trusted. They go do crimes and claim we are racist. That is not the case in the whole country but it is in the southern part.

I think the only argument that can be held against felons is the following: if they kill, they can not vote. It does not matter who or what they did, they took away someones life. Many people would agree ,because we cannot accept someone who did wrong. It would make us look bad as a country. We do not want to be known as the country who is runned by felons. That is why we have a system.

Written by: Diego Don Pd.3
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 3:13 PM
I think that is someone commits a felony, it depends on the severeness of the case. For instance, if they murdered someone or kidnapped, then they surely shouldn't be given that privilege of voting for our country. There is a good possibility that they will chose something that will affect America. On the other hand, if the felony was committed on accident or it wasn't much of a deal, then they should be given a second chance to try and make something worth it for them and the country. They are likely to change for the better.

It doesn't seem right to take away a privilege for something so small that maybe they couldn’t pay off or something. It does make Mississippi look really strict and makes it have so much judgment towards me. I would feel like that that state is just not the right place to move into and live peacefully. They shouldn’t take their right away from voting for something small.

They have been in jail for some time and i think that they should have a second chance. They have paid the price that they deserved for making the bad choices that they made. It depends if they should get a second chance. If the felons are going to take this serious, then they should be able to vote again and taking care of that privilege. Those who know they aren’t really going to do any good after they were even sentenced to jail for a period of time, then they shouldn’t be given that chance to ruin our country.

I believe that it is partially true because the African American during the civil rights did show violence towards what the government and the whites thought of them, which gives out to the public a big generalization about who they are based on their actions. But at the same time, they weren’t really doing anything wrong in the first place. The white people assumed and made lots of assumptions about them and what they had no right to do that.

They should consider knowing who really deserves to have their right to vote again and who to just take that right away for a life time. But then at the same time, this is a “free” country, so technically, nothing can be done because of that. They should just investigate towards the case and see who was really convicted to the crime and who wasn’t. It would be a fair game to the criminal, the government itself, and the country.

Viviana Camargo

Ms. Wright

A/B 4

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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 3:14 PM
Kevin Avila A5/B5

Felons should have the right to vote no matter their crime. The government should not have the power to decide who votes or not because they can abuse their power and use that power to their advantage. For example, Matt Apuzzo’s article, “Holder Urges States to Lift Bans on Felons’ Voting,” says, “ as a vestige of the racist policies of the South after the Civil War, when states used the criminal justice system to keep blacks from fully participating in society.” in other words, the police is using this law to keep people from voting.

Nobody can give up their right to vote by committing a crime. If a felony is committed, the punishment should be jail and nothing else. When felons get out of jail, they have already served their time and paid for what they have done, therefore, taking the right to vote from them is not fair. This law just gives the government advantage and more power because it does not benefit no one at all, but the government.

After a prisoner has been released from jail, they have already paid their debt to everyone; he does not need to be punished again by taking away his right to vote. They have nothing to pay to society because they have already paid by completing their punishment in jail. They should be given a second opportunity because they are citizens and all citizens should be allowed to vote no matter what their criminal history is.

I agree with Mr. Holder, African Americans and many other races are being judged unfairly by receiving worse charges than what they actually did. If a white person committed the same crime as a non-white person, the penalty for the white person would be less than the non-white person. Police now a days are looking for any reason to arrest people and even charge them with unreal charges and no evidence.

I personally think there is not a good reason why someone would support this law because it brings no benefits to nobody but maybe someone can say that these people should not be allowed to decide who should be part of the government because that’s the right of the citizens and these felons already did damage to the people so this law serves as a punishment from society while prison is the punishment from the government.
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 3:35 PM
people convicted of felons should not be restricted from voting. I thinks that the sentence they are given for committing their crimes is enough. it is not fair that they must go to prison where they are stripped of their rights and their lives are taken away just to be released years later and have the same regulations. some one does not give up the right to vote in our democracy because it can't be taken away. voting is a form of speech and opinion that is protected by the first amendment. The law in Mississippi is definitely unfair. this law basically is saying that you can't vote if your having a tough time keeping up with bills or other common expenses like food. after spending the appointed time in prison by a judge a felon has paid his debt to society and all parole issued restraints, such as restraining orders, should be the only thing taken away from a person. after their sentence is complete it shouldn't even be considered a second chance. they should be able to continue their live in a more educated way, meaning not taking the same path that got them in prison. I agree with holder that this is a complete reoccurrence of the acts that were made back then. the only difference is that this is on a widespread towards any citizen, not just African Americans. someone could possibly take the opinion of the court how a felon is not a trustworthy witness. I think this argument would really work because it already takes place in the court and the judge(s) would most likely favor it because they are officials of the law and live by it.

dennis Kramer / period 4
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 3:35 PM
Oni WIlliams, P5

Should Felons be allowed to vote? Well its all depends. There are entirely too many factors to go into the decision. I dont think that its a simple yes or no kind of decision, because you're dealing with someone's rights. However, I can understand where some people are coming from, when they don't want the felons voting. We all know what we think is right, but what we should really be thinking about are the feelings of the actual felon.

I believe that the people who are making the decision to banned felons from being able to vote, are the people who are actually putting the felons in jail. I dont think that anyone really knows how the felons feel about this, just what they believe is right. Which in my eyes is what the actual problem is. Some felons only became felons because they make a mistake, and for those who are truly sorry for their mistakes, this isn't fair. I think that if people are able to take responsibility of for making a mistake, they should not be penalized for the rest of their lives.

On top of that, most of these felons, if not all, will not be able to find a well paying job. I think that taking away someone's right to vote, could possibly be taking away the only thing left that really classifies them as an American. In America we tend to pre judge people because of their pass, so because the person has a criminal record already, this means that they already have a prejudgement, everywhere they go. So the government not allowing them to vote, that means that they are just placing more of a hassle for them to live with in the world. Nevertheless, most felons have actually done something worthy of their title, and for those people, there should be another route of voting.

For the real felons in the prison system, voting might not be such a great ideal. I think that the people, who were serving time in jail for very extreme crimes, should be able to vote. I think that at a certain level of crime voting should be taken away, because they reason the person got into the position of being a felon, is because they made a poor decision. If you can't make good decisions with your life, then maybe the power of voting is too much, and you might not be able to make the proper decision on who is the best candidate to run our country for 4- to-8 years. However, some might question, what exactly is an “okay” felony and a “bad” felony, which is something that doesn’t exist.

Honestly, a felon is a felon! There is no way to make one felon look better than another. However, there is a part of a person that loses something every time someone has their vote taken away. Because a vote, for many, is their voice in the world; its like taking away their voice. I think that most people see voting something thats is very important, and if the government allows felons to vote, that it will become less of an important tradition in the lives of Americans. Maybe that is true but no one can actually make this decision, because no matter what there will always be a view on it by one side or the other. So the end solution would never actually be fair… so should felons be allowed to vote after they've served their time? Well thats a question that cannot be answered.
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 3:47 PM
Jazmyne Palacios
P:4

People convicted of felonies should have an opportunity to vote. The reason behind that is everyone has a voice, right? So why can’t they have a say in it? I see nothing wrong with them having the right to vote. They’re convicted for what crime they did, but how is this relevant to voting? There’s no harm in voting, at all. We all have a voice and it should be heard. It doesn’t matter what the crime was. Overall, people convicted of felonies should really have that chance to vote. Then it all goes back to how well these laws are set at the moment, are these felonies breaking these laws that are set up? Or are they not strict and specific enough for them to do these crimes. What if the felony believes a new president can be a new change in life.

Woah, I really disagree that people give up the right to participate in our democracy because they feel they need to commit a crime. What! Does! Voting! And! Politics! Have! To! Do! With! Anything! That’s utterly so stupid, who would even think of doing a crime in order to give up the right to participate in our democracy? We can’t read these felonies mine to define and observe if they did what they did or they did this because they want to give up a chance of be a individual participant. I believe that seems pretty pair because if you’re doing a check that is supposedly worth one hundred dollars and people don’t enough to afford this check because it bounces back when you go into the back account.

I believe once prisoners are released from jail they should/shouldn’t be given a second chance to be a citizen. It all depends on the crime or incident that occurred that made them go to jail in the first. If the crime was use, for example, killing someone or killing people then they shouldn’t have a right to be considered a citizen or get a chance to be a citizen. You’re literally hurting those who lost someone they loved and they are lost themselves. Moreover if the crime wasn’t such a big deal, I see no harm in them being accepted back as a citizen. They served their time now it’s time for them to be free once again. Prisoners definitely have bad their debt to society, especially to those who were affected or inflicted in the situation.

My response to Mr.Holder’s comments is I’m appalled by his comments. An argument that someone could support a lifetime ban voting for felons could be since felons already did crime, why should it matter for them to vote. Another argument can be reasoning from back then and history about voting/felons. These arguments are persuasive.

The reason these arguments are persuasive is because many people’s opinion may change over the course of the argument being shared. Another reason can be the amount of background and evidence to support the argument you’re claiming about having a lifetime ban for felons to vote. This whole topic is a bit absurd and overall, I think personally felons should still have a right to vote.
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 3:52 PM
I think people who have been convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote. They may be dangerous and unpredictable, but its not like them voting will cause something terrible to happen. If anything bad happens from a felon voting, it will have to do with the president that was voted into office and it will be a group effort. They aren't the only ones who vote. If someone votes for the same person as a felon, does that make them a felon also? No. Felons who vote, cannot cause any kind of harm to anyone, so why not let them vote? In addition, they already have hard times getting jobs for having a felony on their record, and they served their time in prison. Haven’t they suffered enough? I think we can cut them some slack.

I don't understand the reasoning for being banned to vote for sending out a bad check. What if it was an accident? I don't think a person should have their democracy taken away from them for making a mistake. Thats like taking away their freedom and its unfair. Furthermore, people who convicted serious crimes usually get life in prison. Therefore, the people who are let free probably didn't commit such a terrible crime anyway. I dont think its right to take away their rights. Its a violation of the constitution.

Once a person is out of prison, i feel as though they have already been punished. Prison is torture. Its not a fun place. Not only that, but, most places don't hire people who have a felony on their record. Even if it is something small. Plus, while you are in prison all your rights are already taken away. Prisoners anticipate getting out of jail so they can have those rights back that they didn't get to have while they were in jail. If we take away their right to vote, they might as well still be in jail and thats not fair since they already served their time.

I agree with Mr.Holder. Not letting felons vote is just like how blacks weren’t allowed to be apart of society back in the 50s. As i stated before, its taking away their rights and it won't really cause any harm to let a person vote. What can they really do? What is so bad that extreme measures of not letting felons vote has to happen? Its silly.

I think someone could probably make a convincing argument of a ban on felons voting. Especially if you have the right person to do it. I think that it all just depends on your opinions and the kind of person that you are for it to be persuasive. Some others might understand and see reasoning for the ban while other may not agree and think that its silly. Especially if you are a stubborn person.

~Sharon Boyd P5
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AnonymousFebruary 28, 2014 at 4:29 PM
Carolina Barraza P5
In my opinion, I don’t think that felons should be allowed to vote. Why I say this is because they were arrested for a crime they did against the country that was considered very offense. Why should they get to choose a leader for us if they can’t differentiate between good and bad? I think that they would not take the voting seriously. You may say that there is no right or wrong voting answer because it’s your opinion, but there decision still impacts us as a whole. It’s like when you do a project and someone in your group does not help at all, yet they still get credit and a good grade. They didn’t contribute to anything. Same thing with felons, they don’t help the country, so why should they get to vote?
I don’t think it fair that someone should get their voting right taken away because of something small. I think that the right should be taken away when they commit a huge felony like murder, assault, or in other words a violent crime against people and the country. It would not seem right that just because you wrote a check wrong you should get your voting rights taken away. Now I think that some drug users should not vote because they most likely won’t take things seriously. I mean I sure would not someone that is doing drugs to choose a person to lead us.
Maybe not every person should be given a second chance. But it mostly depends on what they were convicted for and then if it was not very serious than they should be given a second chance. They should be given the rights of being a citizen but not all at once. They should be given their rights slowly. They should be able to earn the right back not just give to them. They do deserve a second chance because they can always change for the better and really try to get their life back on track.
In response to what Mr. Holder said, I think that it’s wrong to take the vote away from someone just because of the color of their skin. That to me is just wrong and very unfair. They also have a voice and an opinion, so they should be able to vote and choose for themselves what they want. Now what these states are doing is not right because the civil war and those conditions happened a very long time ago. Why should these people stay pay for something that wasn’t even in their time?
An argument that I think would support the banding of felon voting is that if they committed a crime once how can we trust them again. But in order to qualify for the lifetime banding on felon voting, you would have to commit a very serious crime. If it was something small like writing a bad check then you shouldn’t be paying for that. They would be persuasive because if it was something small they shouldn’t be banned on voting forever. They could earn it back by doing work or helping the community. But I think that this argument would work for some people.
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AnonymousMarch 2, 2014 at 6:46 PM
People who have been convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote because it is a way of showing you freedom. When your rights have been taken away it feels like you can’t do anything but sit there and watch other do what they do. It seems Unfair just because they had created a bad $100 check. Having your voting taken away just because of a simple mistake doesn’t mean that you can just have something like your voting taken away. Having your privilege to vote seems like a way to express your self for what you go for. Just for a felony doesn’t mean you can take away someone’s freedom.
I believe that they have served their time and deserve a second chance at living their normal life. I don’t know about others opinions, but I believe some have learned what they did just because of their consequences. I believe that everybody deserves a second chance no matter what they did or their mistakes. Even if it can be something serious or something silly doesn’t mean you can take away their voting rights. Every one needs more than just once chance.
I believe that it makes a point to what’s going on. Because what he saying is what’s happening right now with every felon not being able to participate is like the African Americans with their civil rights in the past. He is trying to show you what is going on and what it might lead too. The people can talk about how its taking away part of their freedom and what they do as people. I think that the argument should be persuasive. Because they would try to get other to let felons vote after they have server their time.
- Jocelyn Garcia A/B5
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AnonymousMarch 3, 2014 at 2:51 PM
Written By: Beverly Avila
There are many crimes committed by many people all over the world: murders, drug dealing, robberies, etc. People are put to jail, but then they are set free after they have done their time. However, should these people have the right to vote? I believe that anyone should be allowed to vote because the government shouldn't take their right of voting just for something they have done.

“By perpetuating the stigma and isolation imposed on formerly incarcerated individuals, these laws increase the likelihood they will commit future crimes.” said Mr. Holder who works for The Times. Based on this statement, people should agree with him like I do. When you take someone’s privilege, they would do anything they can to take revenge or to get the privilege back. That’s when the crime rates start shooting sky high.
“The right to vote is the foundation of any democracy, yet nearly six million Americans are denied that right, in many cases for life, because they have been convicted of a crime.” also said by The Times. Six million Americans have their right to vote taken away. I believe that people shouldn’t be punished after they have already served their time in jail. Criminals shouldn’t be part of those six million people, and make voting rates go down. What’s the whole point of punishing someone after their prison sentence?
People should have the opportunity to vote because even though they have done a crime, they shouldn’t be punished even more than they already have. If they are American citizens, the government shouldn’t take any of their rights. Voting and doing a crime are two very different things. Criminals do need a punishment, and that is what jail is for: those who have done something bad. Voting is giving your opinion and choosing who will be best for running your country. Some people don’t even vote! So why take the chances of a person wanting to vote for a president anyway? They can ruin the chances of somebody trying to make a change.
Overall, criminals should be allowed to vote. The only way that I believe that someone should have their right to vote if they don’t take voting seriously. If people don’t give their honest opinion about something, why let that person have the opportunity to do a serious commitment? I believe that criminals learn from their mistakes after they get out of jail. They should able to vote even when they did a mistake.
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AnonymousMarch 4, 2014 at 1:40 PM
Victor Villanueva
Ms Wright
English P4
2-27-4
Many people have a never ending question with millions of possible answers , should felons be allowed to vote , there are thousands of possible cases that could be made for either side of the debate ;however , in my opinion I believe that felons should ,as a matter of fact , be allowed to vote for reasons that i will list and explain next.

Many people will say that felons should not be allowed to vote since that will worked as punishment for the felony that they committed ; however , in my opinion I would argue that taking the right to vote away from a person is not necessary because they already probably serve their time in prison or had to pay a huge fine for their wrongdoing , in other words the government would be making this people pay a double punishment that is not necessary.

another point of interest that should be brought up to the peoples attention is that the reason why voting was invented in the first place was because the government wanted to find out the peoples opinion and preventing some people from exercising their right to vote will also prevent the government to elect the right public officials and it will also prevent them from knowing what people really think about who and how the government should be managed.

I believe that a felon should not worry about not being able to lose their right to vote
since a felony could be caused by a misunderstanding and not only that but also it can be caused by something as little as a bad check according to the Mississippi law a person could lose their right to vote in Mississippi for trying to pass a $100 bad check , i believe that a rule like that could only bring more trouble to the government and the people since its a simple mistake that anyone could make by not being totally careful this could mean that a simple mistake could cause a full bunch of trouble for people .

Finally it is a person’s right to be able to vote and it is a, or at least it should be against the law to take a persons right to vote away ; however , i do believe that a person who commits a crime that brakes either most or all of the major laws that person should , as a matter of fact, lose their right to vote however that should only be the case if a person is not only charged with such a major crime but be 100% sure that the person is guilty , the crime should probably be something like terrorism or a great massacre and I think that is the case because a person with such a potential to create chaos most likely also has the potential to create more chaos and ruin millions of lives.
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AnonymousMarch 5, 2014 at 9:17 AM
Written by : Julio Acosta
I do not agree with letting felons vote, but neither should they be taken away of their privilege to vote just for one small thing they’ve done. I feel as if it truly depends on the crime they’ve done to determine whether or not they should stop voting or not. It doesn’t seem fair to be taken from your own right to vote but then again you’ve done something on purpose to deserve what you got. It seems like a fine idea for them to vote anyway since most of the Americans never truly vote anyway, I do not really see the harm in letting them vote at all.
There is a way that I feel felons shouldn’t be allowed to vote because of what they’ve done but really in the end it wouldn’t hurt anybody for them to vote. Most of these criminals now either don’t like the government or just plainly did something wrong for fun, so they wouldn’t really vote anyway. Even if they do vote and the people do not like what they sent then they can honestly just discard their decision. No one will really get hurt or be shamed upon and so there’s no harm whatsoever. Most politics do this with their votes for office and nothing is said to it. They are criminals after all, who’d care if their decision was taken away from if they did not say anything truly good to their president and government anyway.
Another thing is, you can’t truly punish everyone for creating a felony. Some of these people truly are innocent and have had accidents. Taking their privilege to vote really is a crime of its own. You honestly need to lower what can make you lose your privilege as well. Something of a really low lever like robbing a small store or just drinking under the influence of alcohol is truly something small that no one should lose their voting rights to. At the least, you should give a suspension of their right to vote for at least twenty years maybe. Somewhere along those lines is a reasonable punishment to give.
Doing something like taking one’s voting rights is just going to create problems. People are going to view it as bad and wrong anyway and are most likely to protest against it a vote for someone who isn’t for it. The last thing you want to do is cause more problems by complicating things more and more. You’d make more people angry instead of helping anyone or changing anything for the better. Honestly, they are already in jail or prison and so what more can they do, the least would be just voting for someone else that you do not agree with.
Taking someones voting rights honestly isn’t such a good thing to do even if they’d make a felony. You’ll create more problems and in the end the public wouldn’t agree much with what you had to say about it. People are just going to view it as wrong and are going to argue all the time about it. Leaving things the way they are hasn’t caused any problems to occur so leaving this to be is the right course of action to take.
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