Voting rights of ex-felons.....

Discussion in 'Civil Liberties' started by beth115, Apr 25, 2016.

  1. beth115

    beth115 New Member Past Donor

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    As a moderate I am for restoring voting rights of felons who have successfully completed and been released from confinement. Especially after finishing all terms of the court. STATES REFUSUNG TO RESTORE THEIR VOTING RIGHTS ARE DOING SO UNCONSTITUTIONALLY. Additionally after completing all court ordereds their record so be closed to potential employers and educational facilities. It is more and moreneasynto be prosecutedn and convicted of a felony that should be catorgorized as a a class A misdemenor
     
  2. DoctorWho

    DoctorWho Well-Known Member

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    No, standard practice after a Felon has been pardoned, charges are expunged / purged from the records, juvenile cases are sealed, and after age 21, all Rights are restored, and questions about past felony convictions can be truthfully be answered in the negative.
     
  3. justme22

    justme22 Newly Registered

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    they could be trying to reform so they can legalize the crimes they committed. They shouldn't be allowed to vote imo.
     
  4. BillRM

    BillRM Well-Known Member

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    In the state of Florida one in three adult black males can not vote due to being a convicted felon sometime in their lifetime.

    The process to regain voting rights is slow and complex and as a result only a handful of people regain those voting rights every year.

    At the very least there should be a return of voting rights after a set period of time of being a law abiding citizen after serving their sentences.
     
  5. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    they should be allowed to vote, there is a legal way to address bad laws, everyone should have the right to vote

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    when you have paid your debt to society for your crimes, all rights should be restored, if we want to punish people longer, that should happen during sentancing
     
  6. TheResister

    TheResister Banned

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    There is no "right" to vote. It is merely a privilege. As laymen we tend to confuse this subject, so let's set something straight.

    ALL people have unalienable Rights. IF we lived in a de jure/ lawful / constitutional government, those people who served their time, made restitution, paid the fines and were returned to society should have all their rights restored.

    Next to unalienable Rights are inalienable rights. The biggest difference between an unalienable Right and inalienable one is that unalienable Rights are supposed to be above the legislative process since those rights are presumed to have been bestowed upon you by a Creator. Inalienable rights are government created rights that you can give up, forfeit or lose by legislation. The "right" to vote as some call it is, at best, inalienable.

    People who have been denied the privilege of voting ought to be suing under 14th Amendment guarantees of equal protection of the laws. If you cannot vote for the person that will protect your interests while elitists do have an upper hand, it would appear to be a 14th Amendment violation.

    At the end of the day, we cannot afford to leave the protection of Rights and privileges to the government alone. If you work and pay taxes, you should be able to vote.
     
  7. Ronstar

    Ronstar Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    whatever happened to "No Taxation without Representation"????

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    so we have a "right" to own a gun but choosing the people who rule over us is a mere "privilege"????

    (*)(*)(*)(*) that!!!!!
     
  8. TheResister

    TheResister Banned

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    Do you see a Right to vote in the Declaration of Independence? The Constitution? It doesn't matter what I think. If I cannot show the law that applies, then it don't apply. If it makes you feel better, and you didn't read it the first time. MY PERSONAL OPINION is that any citizen who works and pays taxes should be allowed to vote regardless of whether it is an inalienable right, unalienable Right or a privilege.

    There is no specific guarantee of a Right to vote, so it is what it is and I explained it. <Off-topic>
     
  9. PopulistMadison

    PopulistMadison Active Member

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    If they make up a small part of society, what harm could their vote cause? Voting away the rights of people to vote is a slippery slope. Once they are out of confinement, I say let them vote.

    As for a criminal record, I think some employers should be allowed to see some crime records but not others, on an as needed basis for that job. Also depends how long they have been out.
     
  10. PopulistMadison

    PopulistMadison Active Member

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  11. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I see what your saying... but...... if we want to make owning a gun a privilege rather then a right, then there is a process to make that happen

    but as of now it's a right, not a privilege

    .
     
  12. PopulistMadison

    PopulistMadison Active Member

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    To me, a privilege is something not all law abiding citizens may do. If someone is convicted beyond a reasonable doubt of a serious crime, that allows the state to take away their guns. However, I do realize the constitution implies it as a universal right, whereas it specifically states that states may deny citizens to vote on the basis of committing a crime. So at a minimum, denying ex-con's the right to vote is constitutional, even though I think it is a slippery slope and should be avoided.
     
  13. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I think this would be a easy test.... anything you think you can do to gun rights, think first if you could do the same to religious rights... then you have your answer

    .
     
  14. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

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    Do you feel the same about gun rights?
     
  15. MrNick

    MrNick Banned

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    Look, felons can vote once their case is resolved..... Having a felony doesn't ban you for life from voting, nor does it ban you for life from owning a gun unless it was a violent crime.

    Felons can vote - just not when they're on parole, but once they're off parole they can vote and buy guns.

    Yeah if you murder someone and are paroled you're probably going to be on parole for the rest of your life, so no they can't vote, but most felons aren't murderers and once they finish their parole their case is resolved and they have no restrictions as far as voting.
     
  16. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I agree, they are punishing a person twice for the same crime...
     
  17. MrNick

    MrNick Banned

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    Well, they don't exactly destroy records but your past felony(s) cant be held against you once you finish your sentence and parole..... It's not like cops don't keep a record and it's not like records aren't easily accessible online, but they don't matter as long as the case has been resolved and closed.
     
  18. Hoosier8

    Hoosier8 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Ex-felon voting rights are determined by state law. Each state has a different standard.
     
  19. MrNick

    MrNick Banned

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    They just cant vote when they have an open felony case. Besides, most crimes are excluded anyway...

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    I don't know what the Feds do...... In every state you get your voting rights back once you completed your sentence.
     
  20. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    actually many states ban voting rights for ex-felons even after they have paid back their debt to society

    if you can take away the rights of ex-fellons, you can take the rights away from anyone, cause if rights do not work for the least among us, they work for no one, they just become privileges

    .
     
  21. MrNick

    MrNick Banned

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    No, they don't and can't.....

    Sure they will take away their voting rights IF they have open cases and are presently on parole/probation for their felony.

    I'm an ex-felon (I didn't commit the crime I was accused of tho) - that was 18-years ago, but I will tell you I am a registered voter an do vote and I looked into this matter like 15-years ago.....

    Once your case is resolved you can vote.
     
  22. DoctorWho

    DoctorWho Well-Known Member

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    However, you can't pass the Instant check without the records expunged, or have not had a relief from disability or a pardon, once a Felony is on ones record, one is denied firearms purchases.
     

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