Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont submitted the legislation, named the Inclusive Democracy Act, on Tuesday which would guarantee the right to vote in federal elections for all citizens regardless of their criminal record.
In a statement, Pressley said the legislation was necessary due to policies and court rulings that “continue to disenfranchise voters from all walks of life — including by gutting the Voting Rights Act, gerrymandering, cuts to early voting, and more.” Welch called the bill necessary due to “antiquated state felony disenfranchisement laws.”
In late 2022, approximately 4.6 million people were unable to vote due to a felony conviction, according to a study by the Sentencing Project, a nonpartisan research group. The same study found that Black and Hispanic citizens are disproportionately likely to be disenfranchised due to felony
Convicted of drug crime? Should never lose right to vote.
Convicted of violent crime? Should regain right to vote upon release.
Convicted of trying to overturn an election? Never get to vote again.
They should all be able to vote. From prison, too. The punishment never needs to be to take their voting rights away. If they commit fraud, stop them from committing fraud again.
I think if you’re overthrowing the government, you’re basically tapping out of the democracy. That’s literally the only crime I could see not being allowed to vote. I also think they should be removed from the country they tried to destroy. But then I have no idea how would they remain detained in that situation.
If they are not allowed to vote then by all rights they shouldn’t be taxed as well.
Yup. I’m good for that. Prisoners shouldn’t be making enough to be taxed.
So we just make them legitimate sovereign citizens?
What happens when they start to organize and try to create a new country within the United States?
Edit: weird downvotes, I’m asking questions
What’s your understanding of “sovereign citizen”? Asking in good faith.
I mean, we have Amish in the US. That’s a kind of sovereign citizen, right?
Well I’m basing it off of the google definition…
Sovereign citizens believe they are not under the jurisdiction of the federal government and consider themselves exempt from U.S. law. They use a variety of conspiracy theories and falsehoods to justify their beliefs and their activities, some of which are illegal and violent.
I mean we’d basically be making them the same thing, no? Only legitimate?
I see what you’re saying
The Amish are just members of a fairly extreme religion. They don’t reject the existence of government itself. Sovereign citizens are people that believe they aren’t subject to the laws of the country the reside in.
I’d prefer compulsory voting from all able people of voting age. Prisons should have full in-person voting locations with private voting booths. Mail-in ballots should be a freely available option for all.
It doesn’t guarantee good results, but I feel it is the most straightforward way to rid ourselves of voter suppression campaigns, which I think are fundamentally evil.
What’s the punishment for failing to vote? It would just end up being a poor tax.
It’s not much of a tax when it can be “paid” by sending a piece of paper through the mail, postage-paid.
Australia does this. It works out very well.
Homeless people will rejoice for sure.
Homeless people get counted on the census.
They don’t consistently receive mail and are often on drugs. Fines for not voting are absurd.
But muh rights?
If the person has paid by doing their sentence and are in good faith trying to integrate into society, they should be able to vote.
Except traitors and or domestic terrorists, they can go fuck themselves.
No taxation without representation.
Democracy is a social contract. If you break the terms of the contract by attempting to overthrow democracy, you lose the rights afforded by that contract, like voting.
The problem with that reasoning is that the vast majority of felonies aren’t trying to overthrow a democracy. Punishments should fit the crime.
A DUI shouldn’t stop you from voting, nor should a conviction for being a prostitute. Burglary shouldn’t either. The punishments for each of those felonies should be different and determined case by case. None of them have anything to do with voting.
You were responding to someone who was talking about traitors.
My friend got busted for an ounce of weed when he was 18 and got a felony (intent to distribute…as if the pothead wasn’t just gonna smoke it all himself).
He’s very politically-conscious and always pushing people to vote. I wasn’t thinking and asked if he wanted to go with me and man…I’ve never seen a smile turn to a frown so fast.
I have a friend that got popped in uni. Lost federal aid, loans, grants and ended up back in bumfuck Kansas.
My friend I’m talking about felons charged with trying to over throw the government, not just regular felons. I stated that I agree with felons voting once they paid their sentence. I support reintegration of people that are trying to change their lives.
I’ve worked with 2 strikers and felons and have seen some giving back to the community more than someone that hasn’t done crime. Trying to prevent the youth from ending up the same way.
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Attempting to overthrow the democracy is a very specific crime that very few have actually attempted let alone charged for
Even people in jail should be allowed to vote. Wtf!
What third world shit is that? You can’t vote if you’ve been convicted of a felony? That’s some medieval thinking right there, god the US is a hopeless barbaric mess only thinly disguised as a democracy.
It gets worse. Many of the felony disenfranchisement laws originate from the civil war era. Combine that with the 13th amendment still allowing slavery as a punishment for crime and you can take a guess who was overwhelmingly targeted.
13th amusement
This sounds like fun.
You can run for president but you can’t vote
Yes you fucking can, in fact, voting rights is just about the easiest right to restore once your off paper and paid all your restitution and fines. (Which can be goddam hard. But it is doable.)
Source; I’m an ex fucking convict lol. I’ll have my gun rights back next year if all goes well.
This depends on the state.
Some states automatically let you vote.
A few wouldn’t let you vote at all.
What rational argument is there for citizens to lose their right to vote?
Say you lose your right to vote over possession of drugs. Why? You shouldn’t you have representation?
While in prison you become slave labor. For profit prisons get money for housing and feeding you. They get money from the contracted work you do. They double and triple dip profits. There’s all kinds of under the table deals being done on your back. But why did you lose your right to vote? It all goes back to controlling certain groups of the population. That’s where it started, that’s where it still is. Sure, restrict gun ownership for felons, that’s a constitutional right that has long needed overhaul for so many reasons, but the right to vote, why??
Losing the right to vote is dangerous especially because then you could imprison people who vote against you and swing the vote. Wait…
I’d point to the non-war-on-drugs felony charges as better examples of the kinds of crimes that make sense to take voting away over. CSAM, massive tax fraud, terrorism, mass violence, particularly heinous yet targeted violence, forcing an altered state of mind onto others via unknown substances,
The kinda heinous sociopathic shit that marks a clear disregard for the social contract.
Broadly I disagree with the notion of there being a crime you never finish atoning for, but I can understand why people might hesitate to bring the gates down for folks who’ve committed such acts even after long periods of reform.
In late 2022, approximately 4.6 million people were unable to vote due to a felony conviction
Holy shit America! WTF??? That’s over 2% of the adult population!
You’re off by a bit. But what’s 10x between us friends?
258.3 million adults, so more like 1.7%. (Still too high, though)
I suck at math obviously.
Thanks for the correction.
How many eligible voters though?
I’m fine with incarcerated felons not voting. But they should have a pathway to voting when they’re released. Maybe immediately upon release, or after probation. Something.
Let them vote in prison too!
They actually have the time to get politically informed.
I disagree if only for the sake of avoiding the absolute deluge of “politicians are all criminals!” jokes that encouraging prisoner political engagement could bring about
Donald Trump supports this legislation.
And? Just because a terrible person supports something, doesn’t mean it is bad.
Because he will be a felon, of course.
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Wtf happened to it’s hair? Does it have cancer?
And ofc the name checks out.
I can’t tell if that is a generic male or female. Female??
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No, I’m just genuinely unable to tell and thus curious. But I guess a person can’t even question this stuff our society is so insane now.
The bill itself means nothing to me.
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What are you even talking about? You know what, I don’t care, I’m simply blocking your stupidity so I don’t have to see such nonesense again.
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ROFL You complain about other people being derisive while you yourself lash out and abuse others every chance you get. Because of course your fee-fees matter, but others’ do not.
Sure. Please block me asshole, I’ll block you too
Oh my god, I remember who you are now. You go and get 'em, tiger. I’m sure the broken blocking feature will work the 26th time your dumb ass uses it to try to assert power over others.
You’re an asshole and a bully. You’re exactly like the right-wing anti-LGBTQ bible thumpers you think yourself superior to. You are exactly the arrogant, immature, emotionally weak sack of shit you accuse others of being.
Now go ahead. Throw a temper tantrum and block me too. Let me get another laugh out of you. Or I’ll block you first; does that mean I’ll win something?
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