Voting Rights for the Formerly Incarcerated By Natalie Rodriguez-Steen As a citizen of the United States, I never felt like I had to worry about my right to vote being eliminated. As a child, I would often see news coverage plastered across the TV screen about the un-democratic election processes of other countries. I would frequently hear about how those citizens did not feel safe going to the polls or how their elections were rigged so their vote ultimately did not matter. The act of deliberately undermining someone’s right to vote seemed inhumane and not like something we would face here. However, there are various issues with the Inmates in Washington D.C. will likely current voting system in the United States get the right to vote, joining Maine and that limit an individual’s right to vote and Vermont as the only states that allow alter its effectiveness. One of these issues is inmates to vote. the limitations that are placed on individuals who have been convicted of a felony. Because Read the Washington Post article here. of these restrictive measures, those who return to their communities from incarceration are continually made to feel like second class citizens long after their punishment has been served. In fact, a 2016 study by the Sentencing Project estimated that around 6 million Americans are unable to vote because of felonydisenfranchisement or laws restricting voting rights. These laws took hold particularly after the Civil War due to the passing of the reconstruction amendments. The 15th Amendment was intended to unequivocally grant all males the right to vote, however, that right was eroded and limited through voter suppression and disenfranchisement. During that time, many states adopted laws that limited the right to vote for those convicted of crimes specifically targeting black men. Although, many State’s general rule regarding restoration states have adopted amendments to of voting rights: grant voting rights for those convicted No restrictions: Vote restored after of a felony, felony disenfranchisement prison and parole: continues to plague our country. The continued use of felony • Maine • California disenfranchisement as a means of • Vermont • Connecticut punishment has a direct effect on the political outcomes in the United States. One study has estimated that, “disenfranchisement polices have likely affected the results of seven U.S. Senate races from 1970 to 1977 as well as the hotly contested 2000 Bush-Gore presidential election”. Even more so, it has been found that civic participation in one’s community is linked to lower recidivism rates (Chung) . Participating in civic society helps individuals reaffirm that they are members of the community from which they have been separated. In an interview in 2015, Dexter Stanton said of his inability to vote that, “I was a part of the community, and yet I was separate. I wasn’t a community member” .
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