As armed forces fight overseas for democracy, millions in the homeland remain disenfranchised by an outdated and ineffective justice system. The United States denies many felons the right to vote in public elections, to hold public office of trust or profit or to serve as a juror, even after completion of their sentences.
One in 50 adult Americans, or an estimated 3.9 million people, is currently or permanently disenfranchised due to a felony conviction, according to the Human Rights Watch civil rights news source. An estimated 1.4 million of those have already completed their sentences.
Rebuilding can be difficult for one who has spent the last year (or 20) in a prison without the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills to find success in the highly competitive economy. Being required to pay taxes and yet have no vote on how that money is spent is not an incentive for a rehabilitated felon to integrate into society and find fulfillment as a citizen.
Prisoners need to be given the opportunity to change themselves and create a new life that they control. An empty cell is a punishment to inmates, but those bare walls hold no alternative but a return to a life of crime. Therefore, prisons need to promote literacy and provide books to stimulate their inmates' minds. Without opportunities for advancement, a citizen might spin on the revolving door of catch-and-release justice for his or her entire life.
Bringing the right to vote back to currently incarcerated inmates could encourage felons to be active and informed about political issues, giving them a sense of worth as citizens.
More than 2 percent of adult Arizona citizens don't have the right to vote due to a felony conviction.
The problem with this is many offenses that can lead to voting disenfranchisement are unknown to the general public. Pleading guilty to a single drug sale can cause a citizen to lose the right to vote permanently. Removal or destruction of native plants such as cacti on private or state land is a felony offense, according to the Arizona Revised Statute 3-932. Selling an animal that you cannot prove ownership of is a felony, as is release of an animal at a public event without the owner's consent.
In some states, rehabilitated felons can seek gubernatorial pardon to regain their voting rights. Unfortunately, this opportunity is often unknown and difficult to achieve. In Virginia, where such a pardon is possible, only 404 of 200,000 rehabilitated felons between 1996 and 1997 regained their voting rights.
As voters, we as a people need to bring rights back to those who have lost their votes. In a time when peaceful protesters are met with tear gas and denied due process, it is our responsibility to speak up before our voices are silenced and our hands are tied.
Audra Baker is a journalism and biology senior. Reach her at audra.baker@asu.edu.
