Should felons have the right to vote?

[100%TtId]

Bernie says as president, he will work to grant convicted felons the right to vote, nation-wide, because he says the justice system is inherently racist and disenfranchising to minorities. He says felons still have constitutional rights, including the right to vote.

With that logic, a convicted felon should also have their 2A rights restored. Therefore, if a felon cannot be disarmed, then no one can be disarmed, anywhere in the US, for any reason.

So, just like that, Bernie becomes a gun-rights advocate.

[CEO]

I'm pretty sure his platform would be everyone can vote, no one should have guns. Everything is equal.

[Smell the Glove]

No

[JonBoy]

Let me spin it a different way...let's say you accidentally blow right past a 51% sign, get caught carrying in a 51% establishment and get convicted of a 3rd degree felony. Should you effectively have to serve a life sentence by not only losing your right to vote but also losing your right to bear arms permanently? I'm all for punishing criminals but once you do your time, pay your fines and finish any supervised release you should be right with society and your Constitutional rights should be restored.

Texas, fortunately, allows convicted felons to re-register once their punishment is complete, but other states not so much.

[treestand]

People are in prison because they make bad decisions. They are the last people we need helping select our leadership.

[Traildust]

Let me spin it a different way...let's say you accidentally blow right past a 51% sign, get caught carrying in a 51% establishment and get convicted of a 3rd degree felony. Should you effectively have to serve a life sentence by not only losing your right to vote but also losing your right to bear arms permanently? I'm all for punishing criminals but once you do your time, pay your fines and finish any supervised release you should be right with society and your Constitutional rights should be restored.

Texas, fortunately, allows convicted felons to re-register once their punishment is complete, but other states not so much.

So you stand with Burn?

[Crazy Horse]

Let me spin it a different way...let's say you accidentally blow right past a 51% sign, get caught carrying in a 51% establishment and get convicted of a 3rd degree felony. Should you effectively have to serve a life sentence by not only losing your right to vote but also losing your right to bear arms permanently? I'm all for punishing criminals but once you do your time, pay your fines and finish any supervised release you should be right with society and your Constitutional rights should be restored.

Texas, fortunately, allows convicted felons to re-register once their punishment is complete, but other states not so much.

I agree...

[JonBoy]

People are in prison because they make bad decisions. They are the last people we need helping select our leadership.

I don't think anyone is arguing for restoring suffrage to prisoners. The term "convicted felon" applies to people long after they have been released and completed their court ordered punishment. The argument is that currently this is a states rights issue and there are some states that don't allow anyone with a prior felony conviction the right to vote (or own firearms)...should it be?

Constitutional rights are not state-granted so why are states allowed to dictate whether or not they are restored after serving out your sentence?

Edit: Disregard the first sentence...apparently Bernie is actually arguing for this.

[SaltwaterSlick]

I agree...

Yep, dang little JB posts that I agree with, but I do agree with that.

[JonBoy]

So you stand with Burn?

In this limited case, with the argument I presented, yes.

[JonBoy]

Yep, dang little JB posts that I agree with, but I do agree with that.

Mark this day on the calendar!

[JonBoy]

To continue this thought experiment...

Should a convicted felon be required to self-identify on job applications for the rest of their life?

And if you really wanted to start sliding down a slippery slope...what are y'alls thoughts on a lifetime appointment to the national sex offender registry even though your punishment has been completed?

[CEO]

I can get behind voting rights restored after punishment has been served. Bernie wants to have polling stations in the prison.

[twistedmidnite]

Not all felons are bad people. I'm sure there's lots of people on here who could of easily been convicted of a felony for stuff they did as a teenager.

I'm a convicted felon. I got mixed up with a wrong group at 15. At 16 I made one stupid mistake. At 17 I was a convicted felon for the rest of my life. I paid my dues and still live with the fact I'll never be able to protect my family because I was a dumb teenager. I'm 34 now and have only had a couple speeding tickets in the last 17 years. Guess I'm still a terrible person cause I'm a "felon". I still live, work and pay taxes in this country why should I not be able to vote?

[batmaninja]

I don't think anyone is arguing for restoring suffrage to prisoners.

That is exactly what Bernie is saying.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said he thinks every U.S. citizen, even the convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, should be allowed to vote in American elections.

It is a stretch to call that murder a citizen anyways.