Voter Suppression and Felony Voting: The Debate Explained

If you’re a citizen and at least 18, you can vote in elections, right? Well, no. If you’ve been convicted of a crime, it’s possible that you could have that right taken away. It’s called felony disenfranchisement.

SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a video!
https://bit.ly/3tNKzhV
And follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
https://www.instagram.com/abovethenoisepbs/
https://twitter.com/ATN_PBS

**What is felony disenfranchisement?**
When a state takes away your ability to vote because you’ve been convicted of a crime, it’s called felony disenfranchisement. The word felony is in there because it usually applies to the felony class of crimes, which are more serious crimes that put people in prison for at least a year. So, we’re talking violent crimes like rape and murder. But some states also include some nonviolent crimes like bribery or lying under oath or trafficking drugs. Most states automatically restore the right to vote after people finish serving their sentences. But in some states, for certain crimes, you can permanently lose your right to vote.

**What is the argument FOR felony disenfranchisement?**
The argument you’ll probably hear boils down to something like, “If you can’t follow the laws in your own life, why should you be trusted to help make laws for everyone else, which is what you do when you vote?” Remember, people convicted of felonies often lose other rights, like serving on a jury, owning a gun, getting welfare payments, and receiving financial aid for college. Why should voting be any different?

**What is the argument AGAINST felony disenfranchisement?**
For many, voting is a bedrock principle of what it means to be a democracy, meaning it’s a right that shouldn’t be taken away. If you’ve served your time, and you’re now out, living in the world, you should get the right to vote. Many go even further, arguing that taking away that right is a political move, designed to prevent people from voting. They say it’s just another example of voter suppression.

SOURCES
Felon Voting Rights (National Conference of State Legislatures)
https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/felon-voting-rights.aspx

Can Felons Vote? It Depends on the State (NY Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/21/us/felony-voting-rights-law.html

A Brief History of Felon Disenfranchisement (Organization of American Historians)
https://www.oah.org/tah/issues/2017/november/a-brief-history-of-felon-disenfranchisement-and-prison-gerrymanders/

6 Million Lost Voters (The Sentencing Project)
https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/6-Million-Lost-Voters.pdf

Racism & Felony Disenfranchisement: An Intertwined History (The Brennan Center)
https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/publications/Disenfranchisement_History.pdf

If You Can’t Follow Laws, You Shouldn’t Help Make Them (NY Times Opinion)
https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/04/22/should-felons-ever-be-allowed-to-vote/if-you-cant-follow-laws-you-shouldnt-help-make-them

There Are Good Reasons for Felons to Lose the Right to Vote (National Review)
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/there-are-good-reasons-for-felons-to-lose-the-right-to-vote/

Why are Blacks Democrats? (Princeton University Press)
https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/why-are-blacks-democrats

Felons have the potential to swing close 2020 races (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/11/felon-votes-swing-2020-races-409495

For a complete list of sources go here:
https://www.kqed.org/education/534598/should-people-convicted-of-a-crime-be-allowed-to-vote

TEACHERS: Get your students in the discussion on KQED Learn, a safe place for middle and high school students to investigate controversial topics and share their voices. https://learn.kqed.org/discussions/

About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS member station based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services, and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source, leader, and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places, and ideas.

Funding for KQED’s education services is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Koret Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the AT&T Foundation, the Crescent Porter Hale Foundation, the Silver Giving Foundation, Campaign 21 donors, and members of KQED.

#votingrights #votersuppression

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:12 How Felony Voting Works State to State
3:13 Why Are the Rules the Way they Are?
4:38 The Argument Against Felony Voting
6:31 The Argument For Felony Voting

Видео Voter Suppression and Felony Voting: The Debate Explained канала Above The Noise