Last updated on: 11/2/2015 4:34:40 PM PST
Should Felons Who Have Completed Their Sentences (Incarceration, Probation, and Parole) Be Allowed to Vote?
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"Many people in the community, because of where they live, because maybe they did make a mistake and they don't get their voting rights back, which I totally disagree with… I think if you've done your time, so to speak, and you've made your commitment to go forward you should be able to vote and you should be able to be judged on the same basis. You ought to get a second chance."
Source: David Weigel, "But She's Been There for Years," www.bloomberg.com, May 19, 2015
Pro
[Editor's Note: Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, signed into law Senate Bill 204 (8 KB) on Mar. 15, 2001, An Act Relating to Elections; Restoring the Right to Vote to a Person Convicted of a Felony who has Satisfied All Conditions of a Sentence; Amending, Repealing and Enacting Sections of the NMSA 1978, available at www.nmlegis.gov.
Senate Bill 204 stated in part: "A person who has served the entirety of a sentence imposed for a felony conviction, including a term of probation or parole shall, upon his request to the corrections department, be issued a certificate of completion by the corrections department. Presentation of the certificate of completion to a county clerk shall entitle the person to register to vote."
Senate Bill 204, www.nmlegis.gov, Mar. 15, 2001]
Pro
"Restore the vote to ex-offenders who've paid their debt to society."
Source: Jill Stein, "A People's State of the Union: A Green New Deal for America," jillstein.org, Jan. 2012
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Not Clearly Pro or Con
"They're [the state of Virginia] giving 200,000 people that have been convicted of heinous crimes, horrible crimes, the worst crimes, the right to vote because, you know what? They know they're gonna vote Democrat. They're gonna vote Democrat and that could be the swing. That’s how disgusting and dishonest our political system is."
Source: Right Side Broadcasting, "Full Speech: Donald Trump Holds Rally in Warwick, RI (4-25-16)," youtube.com, Apr. 25, 2016
[Editor's Note: We have classified Donald Trump as Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) to our question, rather than Con, because it is not clear whether he thinks all felons who have served their sentences (including non-violent felons) should lose their ability to vote. In the above quote, Donald Trump is speaking specifically about 200,000 violent felons who had been given a blanket restoration of voting rights by the Governor of Virginia on Apr. 22, 2016.]
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FORMER CANDIDATES
(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"Restore Voting Rights to People with Felony Records. All those who served time and reentered society should be allowed to vote. O'Malley will call for and strongly support legislation restoring voting rights to individuals with felony records. He will explore and take advantage of every opportunity to use federal funds and administrative solutions to encourage states to restore voting rights."
Source: "Criminal Justice Reform," martinomalley.com, July 31, 2015
Pro
"Thirteen percent of African-American men have lost the right to vote due to felony convictions.
This should offend the conscience of every American.
The fight for minority voting rights is a fight for justice. It is inseparable from the struggle for democracy itself.
We must work vigilantly to ensure that every American, regardless of skin color or national origin, is able to vote freely and easily...
We need to re-enfranchise the more than two million African Americans who have had their right to vote taken away by a felony conviction."
Source: Bernie Sanders, "Racial Justice," berniesanders.com (accessed Oct. 2, 2015)
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Con (No)
Con
"I think there are certain categories of felonies that should permanently disqualify you from voting rights."
Source: Matt Laslo, "Felon Voting Rights Still a Work in Progress," wvtf.org, Feb. 25, 2014
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None Found
No position found as of Oct. 2, 2015
None Found
No position found as of Sep. 18, 2015
None Found
No position found as of Oct. 26, 2015
Not Clearly Pro or Con
"Now listen, here's the simple and undeniable fact. The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats. The media doesn't report that. What they report, and there’s a reason why the Democrats for years have been viewed as soft on crime, because they go in and they appoint to the bench judges who release violent criminals. They go in, and they do what Barack Obama tried to do, which is appoint a lawyer voluntarily represented for free, a cop killer, to a senior Justice Department position. They go in and fight to give the right to vote to convicted felons. Why? Because the Democrats know convicted felons tend to vote Democrat."
Source: Hugh Hewitt, "Senator Ted Cruz on The Planned Parenthood Attacks, The Freedom Act, 2016, Illegal Immigration and More," hughhewitt.com, Nov. 30, 2015
None Found
No position found as of Oct. 26, 2015
Not Clearly Pro or Con
"Absolutely [voting rights should be reinstated to certain criminals after they get out of prison]... I'm cool with a process that would allow you to get from there to here. I believe in second chances... Nobody wants a mass murderer back voting. Nobody wants a rapist back voting... There is totally a distinction."
Source: Jennifer Bendery and Dana Liebelson, "The Surprising Voting Rights Issue Both Democrats and Republicans Support," www.huffingtonpost.com, Apr. 3, 2015
[Editor’s Note: We have classified Lindsey Graham as Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) to our question, rather than Pro, because he says some felons who have served their sentences, such as mass murderers and rapists, should not regain the ability to vote.]
None Found
No position found as of Sep. 23, 2015
None Found
No position found as of Sep. 24, 2015
Not Clearly Pro or Con
"The right to vote is among the most important rights that we have... No one should lose this right for life because they spent time in jail for a nonviolent crime. Restoring voting rights for those who have repaid their debt to society is simply the right thing to do."
Source: Rand Paul, "Sen. Paul Urges General Assembly to Pass Amendment to Restore Voting Rights in Kentucky," paul.senate.gov, Jan. 7, 2015
[Editor’s Note: We have classified Rand Paul as Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) to our question, rather than Pro, because it is not clear whether he thinks all felons who have served their sentences, including violent felons, should regain the ability to vote.]
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