Dustin Shropshire

Ben Jorgensen
English 1010
July/13/2015

Felon: n. a person who has been convicted of a felony, which is a crime punishable by
death or a term in state or federal prison. See also felony. and Felony: n. 1) a crime sufficiently
serious to be punishable by death or a term in state or federal prison, as distinguished from a
misdemeanor which is only punishable by confinement to county or local jail and/or a fine, are
two descriptions of what a felon and a felony are. However despite the description of both
suggest felons either die or go to prison this is not always the case. Many serve time in a county
jail or even just probation. What dictates which, who goes to prison and who gets that slap on the
wrist with probation time? The same could be said for felon voting rights. Some states prevent
felons from voting while incarcerated while others allow them to vote during their sentence and
some states prevent a felon from ever voting again. Some may say that who gets what
punishment is based on a history of repeated offenses, which is not always the case. youll come
across first time felons who get a harsher sentence than other individuals who have a repeated
offense for the same crime and while we will not get into that for it is not the purpose of this
essay, lets do entertain the idea of a recurring offense being equal to the punishment. If this is the
case why is it not the same for a persons voting rights, why does the individual not get their

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rights restored immediately and then based of their criminal history as it continues have that right
removed. Roger Clegg, the president and General counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity
comments on why we don't trust felons, We don't let children vote, for instance, or noncitizens, or the mentally incompetent. Why? Because we don't trust them and their
judgment. (Clegg). So its a matter of judgment? To compare felons with children is to simplify
a complex issue, children may not have the ability or competence to make sound judgment
however to standardize felons is a mistake. sometimes one must choose between two choices and
while both made be ill advised one is better than they other and has to be made. leading to being
classified as a felon. So while that person may have made a bad choice it was the better of two
choices and that is sound judgment is it not? Surly no one disagrees about the fact that felons
have made bad decisions and that it is a common belief that they lack the ability to make suitable
ones? To generalize felons in this manner is the same as generalizing any diverse population.
Some people would argue that those who voted for Obama made a bad decision while others
obviously fully support him or he would not have been in the white house . . . twice . This goes
to show that bad decisions can be a matter of perspective as well as the recurring ability to do
so. However here are some ex-criminals who are successful despite the people who would have
you believe they lack the ability to make good choices.

Kweisi Mfume who has served as a congressman and president of the NAACP; growing up,
Kweisi repeatedly got into trouble with the law even serving a few stints in jail.

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Larry Jay Levine who started the company Wall Street Prison Consultants after having
served 10 years in prison using his experience to better himself.
Danny Trejo a famous actor who typically portrays convicts and misfits was one himself in his
early life. he now supports multiple charities including the Los Angeles police memorial
foundation. (Cortez, Giang)

Obviously these men are trusted in their respected fields despite the decisions they have
made. Some might say these are rare cases and shouldn't be considered however if you were to
look at your own community you would be more than likely to find small successful business
owners who were once felons. Sometimes this being their only option after incarceration the
BEST decision they can make is to brave the dangerous waters that few do and start their own
company.
So what other motives then is there besides saying that felons are not capable and should
not be trusted with a vote? Political for one, In 2004, the Alabama Republican party Chair stated
that the party was opposed to [restoring voting rights] because felons don't tend to vote
republican. (Connors) So politics play a role and what role is that specifically, who is truly
affected by disenfranchisement. In this I directly take from another essay on this issue;
The people overwhelmingly affected by these laws are minorities. Only 2.5%, 5.8 million
people, in the voting age population were made ineligible to vote by felon voting laws in 2010,
according to the Sentencing Project. That percentage tripled to 7.7% among African-Americans.

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Another way of putting this is that 38%, 2.2 million, of all those stopped from voting by felon
restrictions are black. About a million black ex-felons (i.e. those who have "paid their debt to
society") are disenfranchised.
Not surprisingly, these voters would vote overwhelmingly Democratic. A study of felon voting
patterns from 1972 to 2000 found on average 30% of felons and ex-felons would vote if given
the chance, and about three out of four would vote for the Democratic nominee for president.
This would have doubled Al Gore's margin in the national vote. Of course, it's the vote tallies at
the state level that determine winners in United States elections. (Enten)

So not only is it political it may even be racially biased? No surly that couldn't be? When
we take a look at disfranchisement as a nation compared to others we are one of a kind. Other
nations either have no felon voting restrictions or they are very minimal. The united states
however varies from state to state, why is this? when we take a deeper look at the population
make up of each state and their restrictions we find that states that have a higher white
populations have lesser restrictions where as states with a higher black population are more
restricted. An example of this is would be Utah Vs. Alabama where Utah's total black
populations is less than 2% and Alabamas is over 25% as of 2013. (Census) In Utah after the
individuals term of incarceration voting rights are restored where as in Alabama voting rights
may be applied to be restored. Eric H. Holder U.S attorney General says it well in his 2014
speech, In many states, felony disenfranchisement laws are still on the books. And the current
scope of these policies is not only too significant to ignore it is also too unjust to tolerate...

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And although well over a century has passed since post-Reconstruction states used these
measures to strip African americans of their most fundamental rights, the impact of felony
disenfranchisement on modern communities of color remains both disproportionate and
unacceptable. (Holder) Throughout America, 2.2 million black citizens- or nearly one in 13
African-American adults- are banned from voting because of these laws. In three states- Florida ,
Kentucky , and Virginia - that ratio climbs to one in five. (Procon) This could potentially see as
nothing more than a clever loop hole to the voting rights act of 1965 which came to be at the
hight of the civil moment to protect races and their rights to vote. This may sound like
conspiracy of sorts to some however it hasn't gone unnoticed The Washington post stated in a
2012 article called A lifetime Sentence for Felons, In the midst of the civil rights movement,
[ President Lyndon] Johnson sounded a call to arms against racial disenfranchisement. Nearly 50
years later, that unfortunately remains a battle.
In an election year when many states have added dubious voter ID requirements sure to affect
minority voters disproportionately, another set of impediments to the franchise worsens the
problem: laws in 11 states, including Virginia , that disenfranchise felons. Given that African
Americans constitute 38.2 percent of the prison population but just 12.6 percent of the general
population, a disproportionate share of these disenfranchised people are black
the franchise should be automatically restored after a sentence is completed, as it is in Maryland.
Johnsons words ring hollow when the terrible walls which imprison men continue to reinforce
inequality in more ways than one (Editorial Board)

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Some might say well they can apply to have their rights restored however whos to say
that there is not another level of racially biased oppression. That the individuals who decide
whos voting rights are restored are not being racially biased?
We will not delve any deeper than that into the issue instead lets leave with a final
thought. As a nation we have suppressed many races that contribute to our society and growth no
one can argue this , and that this still goes on is undeniable, however what steps are being taken
to end this? What can any one person do to help bring this cause to light? Fact is this issue is
already in the light and is at its reaching a climax that hasn't been seen since Martin Luther King
jr. and its time for anyone who claims to be a part of this great nation to take a more proactive
stand. weather that being just bringing the issue to light in the community around you or
supporting the associations fighting racial oppression. We are a people of many races and only as
one can reach our maximum potential.

Works cited
Clegg, Roger. Top 10 Pros and Cons. procon.org. Procon. 03 Dec 2014 Web. 30 Jul 2015

Connors, Marty. Are Felons More Likely to Vote Democrat or Republican. procon.org.
Procon. 03 Dec 2014 Web. 30 Jul 2015

Cortez, Samantha, Giang, Vivian. 11 Ex-Criminals who Completely Turned Their Lives
Around. businessinsider.com. Business insider. 09 Jul 2012 Web. 30 Jul 2015

census.gov. U.S Census Bureau. 28 May 2015 Web. 30 Jul 2015

Editorial, Board. A lifetime sentence for felons. TheWashingtonPost.com. Washington Post.

29 Jul 2012 Web. 30 Jul 2015

Enten, Harry. Felon voting rights have a bigger impact on elections than voter ID laws.
theguardian.com. Guardian News Web. 30 Jul 2015

Holder, Eric. Should felons who have completed their sentence be allowed to vote. procon.org.
Procon. 17 Jul 2015 Web. 30 Jul 2015

procon.org. Procon. 03 Dec 2014 Web. 30 Jul 2015