Comments on: Florida Will Let Felons Vote

By: Beldar

Beldar — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 21:57:38 +0000

There was a time when being a voter meant that you were part of a privileged group. Felon disenfranchisement was intended to remove you from, or prevent you from ever entering, that privileged group — a dual purpose both deterrant and retributative. How much it ever satisfied either goal is questionable. Many crimes are felonies now that traditionally weren't, and the perceived value of being able to vote is certainly less in our current realm of near-universal suffrage. My own preference would be to make disenfranchisement automatic, but with a fairly low threshold for granting re-enfranchisement. The felon who's fully paid his "debt to society" ought have to do more than scribble his name on a postcard someone stuffs under his nose. We're talking about where we want the "default" settings to be, not how hard it should be to flip the switch or toggle the zero to a one.

By: Adam's Blog

Adam's Blog — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 14:50:09 +0000

Truth and Hope Report: Easter Weekend Update...

On the weekend Truth and Hope Report:

-Rudy's Trouble with Bloggers
-Detroit Kids Getting I-Pods
-Gays in the Military
-Rich Liberals
-Wrongful Birth Suits
-Whose to Blame for the lack of confidence in the judicial system?

...

By: G.A.Phillips

G.A.Phillips — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 06:03:42 +0000

Billy,In the first place all the people who voted for Algore should be felons for criminal stupidity not to mention their support for the murder of 45 million babies and counting, in the second place not all felons are liberals, in the third place James is right, what happened to forgiveness for those who have served their time and changed their ways? I would be more interested in a study on how many felons are liberals and why their there parents would raise them this way? I'll bet its up its up around 90% and because their liberals.

By: chsw

chsw — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 04:16:09 +0000

One murder, one vote.

chsw

By: PoliBlog (TM): A Rough Draft of my Thoughts

PoliBlog (TM): A Rough Draft of my Thoughts — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:58:57 +0000

Most ex-Felons Will Have Their Voting Rights Restored in Florida...

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By: PoliBlog ™: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts » Most ex-Felons Will Have Their Voting Rights Restored in Florida

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:58:40 +0000

[...] James Joyner correctly notes: Despite the political implications, which are both harmful to my interests and a trifle bizarre (the 2000 election would have been decided by felons had this policy been in effect), it seems reasonable enough that those who have served their sentence and are back in society to have the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Presuming that they have paid their debt to society–including completing any probationary period–it’s not clear to me why adult taxpayers should be denied the franchise. Filed under: US Politics | | [...]

By: Billy

Billy — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:51:53 +0000

the 2000 election would have been decided by felons had this policy been in effect

This is as true as saying that it was decided by 2000 people who voted for Bush in Florida. A nondisingenuous way of stating this is that had felons in Florida been allowed to vote in 2000, the election would have been decided by those felons plus the 51,000,000 other people, a plurality, who voted for Gore. .

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:24:43 +0000

With that many 'new' voters coming onto the rolls, I'm glad that FL has positive, photo ID required before one can cast a vote.

By: lunacy

lunacy — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 14:32:06 +0000

Well, James, that sort of what I'm presuming...that the demographic that make up felon are probably not a huge voting block. Mind, I have absolutely no evidence. But I presume that many less educated or "disenfranchised" don't believe in the system anyway. And therefore don't participate. I would think to add felon onto whatever other characteristics were talking about, well, they would be even less likely to believe in the system.

By: SPIIDERWEB™

SPIIDERWEB™ — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 14:12:20 +0000

Why not? How many pounds of flesh are required? They've paid their debt. Welcome them back into society.

Hey, do I come off as a bleeding heart?

By: DL

DL — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 13:50:24 +0000

I'm frankly quite surprised that liberal states haven't given them the right to two votes, on the basis of having so many strikes against them and self-esteem reparations and all that.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:59:52 +0000

They'd presumably have the same motivations to vote as anyone else. "Uggen and Manza’s work suggests felons turn out to vote at about the half the general turnout rate in any given election." That's probably about an average turnout when education and economic status is factored in.

By: lunacy

lunacy — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:24:05 +0000

I have to wonder how many felons would even bother to vote. I can't see that many would have any great motivation.

By: Gay Orbit » Florida to Let Felons Vote

Gay Orbit » Florida to Let Felons Vote — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:05:39 +0000

[...] if we could just get rid of those ghastly sex offender registries! (NYT link via James, who goes further in depth on this) [...]

By: Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator

Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 11:37:37 +0000

Florida Ex-Cons To Regain Voting Rights...

Most Florida felons will regain voting and other civil rights more quickly after completing their se...