What are your opinion of this, shall criminals be stripped of their right to vote? I am aware that this are already the reality in some places but what are your opinion. For practical reasons I classify a "criminal" as someone that has been convicted of a crime severe enough to send them to prison. Being sentenced to pay a fine or do community service for a traffic violation or shoplifting does not classify someone as a criminal for purpose of this poll.

Comments of how the system actually work where you live are appreciated. For instance, nobody lose their right to vote where I live, not even when serving time in prison.

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Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn't become a monster.
Friedrich Nietzsche

no in jail and for a time their after as long as they stay clean. Time to be set by legislature law.

You only say that b/c if prisoners could vote while in prison or right when they got out, you know they will vote Democrat and you can't let that happen right? Cause we all know that people in prisons are democrats, it's because Democrats are horrible people, right?

On a serious note, I believe that only in a few rare cases should a citizen have their voting rights taken away from them forever. They may be felons, but they are still American citizens who should have some say in how they are governed. I agree with Sedy, legislature is needed on this issue.

-Demosthenes

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"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Despite the large amount of stupid voters (kidding ), I believe all citizens have a right to vote. They are a part of society, and their opinion is as valid as yours.

The one whose opinion has a majority is of course more valid...

Do you feel that there are those who should be excluded from voting for any amount of time?

-Demosthenes

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"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

What is all that crap about. I never said any of that. You have me mistaken with someone else.


Now if we could just stop the military ballets from being disqualified we would have something. Its one thing to violate the laws of the land ans another to defend them and still get screwed.

some felons do not even belong in prison in the first place{minor drug offenses}but thats another issue. I say that because only once they pay their debt and can show they are clean and can live as respectable citizens then they should have every right to choose their representation. Anything else is NOT what the founders believed in IMHO.

Besides ,there are now a few republican white collar types going to jail. ABOUT TIME.

how about traitors like that polard guy. {or what ever his name is.The ones that spy for Israel on us or any nation for that matter}.

Treason like that is one of the few reasons I personally believe should lead to the loss of the right to vote. This is the type of people that has committed crimes against their own country in a secretive way as espionage. I have more respect for someone who travels abroad to join with the armed forces of a foreign country that may face of against troops from the homeland since they at least did that openly. However someone who who shifts his loyalty to a foreign power but at the same time pretend to be loyal to the homeland, are the worst kind of creep. The only time when I do respect these people are when the homeland are ruled by a dictator and foreign help to remove that dictator are needed.

I guess that I can conclude thay my personal opinion are that voting rights should only be stripped when for those that have commited treason.

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Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn't become a monster.
Friedrich Nietzsche

As long as they retain their citizenship, they should be allowed to vote.
I believe people found guilty should lose their citizenship, and therefore lose the right to vote. I realize this is unpopular, but treason is a grave crime IMO. I agree with Niceguy on this point. (Scandinavian unity, aye?)

We had some problems with people selling us out to the Soviets when they existed. I don't blame the Soviets for that, their intelligence agencies just did what they was supposed to do but the creeps that supplied them with information.

Actually, the Russians still do it but they are more into industrial espionage now, much needed to rebuild the Russian economy so I understand them. People that let down their employer by giving away company secrets are still traitors however, thou not as often at a national level. I classify most but not all of them as "normal" criminals.

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Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn't become a monster.
Friedrich Nietzsche