# Why prevent felons from voting? **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-prevent-felons-from-voting/695187 **Category:** Great Debates **Created:** [August 9, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-prevent-felons-from-voting/695187 "2014-08-09T21:16:44Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 176
### Author: ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers) #### Post date: [August 12, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-prevent-felons-from-voting/695187/176 "2014-08-12T12:24:11Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > No, I’m not indifferent, but you have no actual argument in play. I have an excellent argument in play and I take your attempts at diversion as evidence. I will now address and undermine this latest attempt. > [@](#): > > Here’s a guy wrongly convicted for a shooting. He had to take substantial steps to free himself from his punishment. Certainly, innocent people have been wrongly convicted. Aside from this being a potential argument against punishment for the sake of punishment, the convicted in your cite was (I assume and hope) given due process of law and an opportunity to defend himself. What is the analog in an instance of someone having their name struck from a voter roll by an election official who simply \* assumes \* the person is a felon? > [@](#): > > But we don’t conclude that sentencing people to prison is violative of Blackstone’s formation. I’m not sure Blackstone would have been big on locking up lots of people named John Smith because one person named John Smith comitted a crime. > [@](#): > > More generally, _the fact that a penalty is incorrectly applied does not mean it cannot be used, ever._ Sure. Now prove that this particular penalty should be used at all, against anyone. > [@](#): > > Your post confuses two ideas: whether the penalty, as correctly prescribed, is too severe for the crime, and whether it is applied in error. My only confusion is about how far you’re willing to dig yourself in. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-prevent-felons-from-voting/695187)._