# Should ex-felons be allowed to vote? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 30, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189 "2007-04-30T17:56:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189/281 "2007-05-14T13:36:03Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] You’d be surprised. These recommendations have been attacked quite a bit, **especially over the ID requirements**. Personally, I think we all need to bend a bit to get some things we want enacted, which is why I thought these recommendations ought to be considered as a whole. [/QUOTE] What are they proposing that isn’t already there? I have to show ID when I register at a new address and if I remember correctly, they ask for ID when I actually go to the polls. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189/282 "2007-05-14T13:47:14Z")
I am not going to get into the whole subject here, but let’s just say that the matter of identification at the polls is somewhat controversial. Look, like I said above, if a state were to change their rules to allow felons to vote after serving their whole sentence, I would be okay with it, even though it wasn’t my ideal policy preference. Now, if I were a legislator, I would use this willingness to bend to get something I really want enacted - namely, ID requirements at the polls that really mean something. Now, a Democrat might know I really want that and try to get something they really want, like an auditable paper trail. Frankly, Republicans are amenable to that as well, for the most part, but they want additional reforms like firming up penalties and enforcing them so that fraudulent vote drives like those ACORN has done in recent years can be reined in. These negotiations have already been done, incidentally, by the numerous partisans that made up the James Baker and Jimmy Carter led commission in the first place. I didn’t see the need to reinvent the wheel there. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189/283 "2007-05-14T13:50:09Z")
Don’t want to reinvent the wheel-just want to change a flat. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189/284 "2007-05-14T13:54:27Z")
That’s true. But Republicans only want to change the flat tire on the left side of the car, and the Democrats only want to change the flat on the right. Leave both sides to their devices, and the damn thing still won’t move. So why don’t you grab the tire iron, I’ll get the jack, and we’ll do this right the first time. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189/285 "2007-05-14T20:31:10Z")
[QUOTE=Bricker] The relevance should be obvious. **Kalhoun** asserts that everyone deserves a vote. But of course she doesn’t mean EVERYONE, as my example reveals. She means only certain people. Why do we exclude foreigners from casting ballots in our elections? [/quote] Because (a) there’s no reason to believe furriners, being furriners, share our interests, and (b) they could easily outvote us many times over? > [@](#): > > I contend that the same reasoning might apply to excluding felons. Can’t see how, but go for it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189/286 "2007-05-14T20:39:41Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] That’s true. But Republicans only want to change the flat tire on the left side of the car, and the Democrats only want to change the flat on the right. [/quote] At least we don’t tell the GOP how best to change its tires. 😃 But seriously, given the lack of evidence for “voter fraud,” it looks as if you guys are changing a tire that’s at 32 PSI and plenty of good tread. > [@](#): > > So why don’t you grab the tire iron, I’ll get the jack, and we’ll do this right the first time. Given the GOP’s history for ‘fixing’ things that either aren’t broken (Social Security) or that their ‘fixes’ can and do make worse (Iraq) or do little besides shovel money to campaign contributors (Katrina cleanup, energy bill), my attitude is, please stay the hell away from the tools until you demonstrate that you know when and how to use them. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189/287 "2007-05-14T21:07:02Z")
[QUOTE=RTFirefly] At least we don’t tell the GOP how best to change its tires. 😃 [/QUOTE] [Perhaps it’s best you don’t.](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20060121/ai_n16015652) > [@](#): > > After a two-week felony trial culminating with notes from a conflicted jury, four Kerry-Edwards campaign workers including the sons of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) and former Acting Mayor Marvin Pratt had their charges in the Election Day 2004 tire-slashing reduced to misdemeanors and accepted the deal. > > The fifth Democratic staffer accused of crippling Republican vans won a jury acquittal by sticking with a fight against the felony charge. > > …All five defendants had been charged with damaging 40 tires on 25 rented vans parked outside Republican Party offices on W. Capitol Drive, hours before they were to be deployed for electioneering. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189/288 "2007-05-14T21:32:42Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] [Perhaps it’s best you don’t.](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20060121/ai_n16015652) [/QUOTE] Their bad - they shoulda just waited a couple years for the wheels to fall off. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-ex-felons-be-allowed-to-vote/402189.md?page=14)