# Should Felons Be Able to Vote? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017 "2014-03-06T15:34:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/21 "2014-03-06T19:54:05Z")
Laws vary by state. In Texas, felons who serve their time (imprisonment, parole, probation) regain the right to vote. One thing we’ve got right! ---
**Author:** ![protoboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/22 "2014-03-06T20:34:41Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Laws vary by state. In Texas, felons who serve their time (imprisonment, parole, probation) regain the right to vote. > > One thing we’ve got right! Interesting. Yeah that’s surprising since they’re so gung ho about the death penalty! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/23 "2014-03-06T20:42:05Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > Interesting. Yeah that’s surprising since they’re so gung ho about the death penalty! Surprisingly, it turns out that not one condemned felon in Texas has exercised their right to vote upon completion of their sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/24 "2014-03-06T21:23:19Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Not after their sentence is up. When their sentence is up, they’re released from prison and then they’re not prisoners anymore. ---
**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:** [March 6, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/25 "2014-03-06T21:27:32Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > When their sentence is up, they’re released from prison and then they’re not prisoners anymore. But the OP isn’t about prisoners getting or keeping the right to vote. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/26 "2014-03-06T21:28:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > When their sentence is up, they’re released from prison and then they’re not prisoners anymore. But they’re still felons, and in many places they will never regain the right to vote despite having served their sentence. The post you responded to was an explanation of why we do not allow minor children (and certain other incompetent persons) to vote: because they are wards of others who are responsible for their care. If a person is no longer a ward of a parent or the state, should they have the right to vote? I think it’s reasonable that they should. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/27 "2014-03-06T21:34:55Z")
FYI, all but 11 states automatically reinstate voting rights to convicted felons following release from incarceration, and/or completion of parole and/or probation. > **[Disfranchisement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_disenfranchisement#Classifications)** > > Disfranchisement, also called disenfranchisement, or voter disqualification is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing a person exercising the right to vote. Disfranchisement can also refer to the revocation of power or control of a particular individual, community or being to the natural amenity they have; that is to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, of some privilege or inherent immunity. Disfranc Mo... ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/28 "2014-03-06T22:50:18Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > But they’re still felons, and in many places they will never regain the right to vote despite having served their sentence. > > The post you responded to was an explanation of why we do not allow minor children (and certain other incompetent persons) to vote: because they are wards of others who are responsible for their care. If a person is no longer a ward of a parent or the state, should they have the right to vote? I think it’s reasonable that they should. My point was there are some felons who are wards of the state and are effectively removed from society. I don’t think prisoners should have the vote for these reasons. In my opinion, felons should be able to vote after incarceration. This would include those on parole and probation. I would also include those who are being held in jail but who have not been convicted - they should be allowed to vote (by absentee ballot) based on the presumption that they are innocent. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/29 "2014-03-07T01:29:06Z")
IMO, once a felon is out of jail and off probation, _all_ rights should be restored. Including their RKBA. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/30 "2014-03-07T01:39:40Z")
Done with your sentence? Back to the voter rolls. You were not stripped of citizenship. (And as someone else mentioned: we have gotten into the habit of declaring too many things to be “felonies” for the sake of looking Tough On Crime). ---
**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/31 "2014-03-07T01:49:31Z")
I’m thinking about earning the right to vote, but just having survived 18 years in the country gives you that. Maybe it should be more like in Starship Troopers, where you have to serve in the military to obtain citizenship. Meh, that’s all I got. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/32 "2014-03-07T01:54:26Z")
I don’t think felons should lose the right to vote even while in prison. That is a terrifying thought to me, that our institutions are set up in such a way as to both imprison a huge segment of society and lessen the political blowback from doing so by disenfranchising those very prisoners; even on a temporary basis, I find that distasteful. Their voices must be heard by our decision-making process, same as anyone else’s; if you don’t agree with their opinions on some issue but a majority does, well, tough titties for you, same as on any other issue where general consensus sways against you. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/33 "2014-03-07T03:26:04Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > I see owning a gun as a privilege more than a right. Call me anti-American if you want but I feel like if someone has a violent history they shouldn’t be able to purchase a gun. Just like someone with a DUI should have their license taken away for a while. Well, the Constitution disagrees. Driving has always been considered a priveledge, but the license to own a gun is not. (And if someone’s that violent, then why aren’t they still in prison?) And yes, they should have the right to vote, once they’re out of prison, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/34 "2014-03-07T05:37:12Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > IMO, once a felon is out of jail and off probation, _all_ rights should be restored. Including their RKBA. That is apparently the case in many states, as the federal government has delegated to the states the power to restore gun ownership: [Felons Finding It Easy to Regain Gun Rights](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/us/felons-finding-it-easy-to-regain-gun-rights.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/35 "2014-03-07T05:59:22Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > Felons should never lose their right to vote. Why do they, how does that serve the greater good? Because laws should not be for other people. Felons are people who have proven, supposedly beyond a reasonable doubt, that they are unwilling to respect the rule of law and committed major crimes as a consequence. That should be enough for you to question whether they are fit to have any say in what those laws should be. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/36 "2014-03-07T06:18:31Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > When their sentence is up, they’re released from prison and then they’re not prisoners anymore. But they remain felons, right? Posters using the term “ex-felons” are wrong, right? Considering the number of felons, would they be a significant voting block? Would politicians try to get “the felon vote”? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/37 "2014-03-07T06:26:08Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Considering the number of felons, would they be a significant voting block? Would politicians try to get “the felon vote”? This isn’t a hypothetical. Most states already let felons vote once their sentence is completed. So no, I’ve never heard of this happening in my state, where felons can vote even while on parole. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/38 "2014-03-07T06:29:51Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Because laws should not be for other people. Felons are people who have proven, supposedly beyond a reasonable doubt, that they are unwilling to respect the rule of law and committed major crimes as a consequence. That should be enough for you to question whether they are fit to have any say in what those laws should be. BS, not all felonies are major crimes, and most are not violent. Many accept a felony and probation to not spend time in prison. Many are too young to have thought this through or have good legal council as to what that means later in life. If you want to talk about major or violent crimes then narrow the OP. As stated I stand firm on my opinion. And YES they should have some say about what constitutes a felony and the punishment thereof. The laws affecting them the most is what matters to them the most. Do you think there would be a huge block of felons voting together? As for skewing the elections they can simply vote absentee like the military allows so they are voting in their home of record. If you want to improve voter laws make it a minor crime NOT to vote. As for being fit to vote, I daresay a whole lot of non-felons are just as unfit. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/39 "2014-03-07T06:39:16Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > BS, not all felonies are major crimes, Then the correct response is that it shouldn’t be a felony. Not that we should water down what a felony is. > [@](#): > > If you want to improve voter laws make it a minor crime NOT to vote. No, that is stupid. If you don’t have any strong thoughts about who you should vote for, you should not vote. Otherwise you’re just giving the best known candidates free votes for being well known, instead of because they have any redeeming qualities. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017/40 "2014-03-07T06:40:55Z")
Convicts and felons tend to be disproportionately from particular demographic groups. Those demographic groups may disproportionately support one political party over another, giving those they don’t support an incentive to maintain felon voting laws to suppress votes for the opposition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-felons-be-able-to-vote/683017.md?page=3)