In less than two weeks, tens of millions of Americans will flock to their local polling stations and cast votes in the Nov. 6 midterm elections.
They will decide who to elect governor, what state representatives to appoint and which ballot initiatives to approve. These decisions will mold the future of their state and local community for months, years and even decades into the future.
But not every citizen will have an opportunity to have their voice heard.
Many have lost their voting rights due to a felony conviction. This includes one out of 13 African Americans and one in 56 American adults as a whole.
Felon voting laws vary by state. In Maine and Vermont, prisoners may send in an absentee ballot from their jail cell. In Florida, any adult with a felony conviction cannot vote without a state official approving their written request. Those requests are rarely granted.
Since 2011, just 3,000 out of more than one million Florida felons have had their voting rights restored. One in 10 Florida adults—many of whom completed their sentences decades ago—remain disenfranchised.
Things may soon be changing, however. In this year’s midterms, Floridians will vote on Ballot Amendment 4, a bill which would restore voting rights to all felons except those convicted of murder or a sex offense. Amendments in Florida require 60 percent voter approval.
Opponents, such as the Floridians for a Sensible Voting Rights Policy, say the amendment does not do enough to differentiate between violent and nonviolent offenders.
Supporters say those who have paid their debt to society deserve the right to vote, and Amendment 4 is a long-overdue step in the right direction. According to Florida Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum, Florida’s current felon voting laws are “a relic of Jim Crow that we should end for good.”
With 71 percent of Florida voters showing support for Amendment 4 in one pre-election poll, there is a good chance the measure will be approved. But in two states, Iowa and Kentucky, felons will remain on the outside looking in for the foreseeable future, and it simply is not right.
What it means to be a felon has changed drastically over time. In the 1800s, felony convictions were dished out only to the most ruthless outlaws, murderers and rapists. In some states today, getting caught twice with a marijuana joint can land a person with felony charges.
In Kentucky, marijuana possession of less than eight ounces is a misdemeanor offense punishable by up to one year in jail and a $500 fine. A subsequent offense is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
So, hypothetically, a 30-year-old man with a five-year-old misdemeanor marijuana possession conviction could be caught with a joint, arrested and sent to jail on a felony charge. If convicted, he would lose his voting rights forever, unless he petitioned the governor of Kentucky directly and they approved his request.
Upon release, this man would re-enter the workforce, with a share of his paycheck going toward federal and state taxes. He may see some of those dollars benefit him as roads are repaired and public parks are maintained, but he has no say in the government who manages his money.
Is this what the founding fathers envisioned when they drafted the Constitution centuries ago? A man contributing tax dollars to the government, yet ultimately living unfree?
If we allow a person to walk out of prison, they should be given the right to vote. Debt collectors stop calling once bills are paid. Doctors stop badgering overweight patients when they drop pounds. Once someone has paid their debt to society, they deserve a say in the society in which they live.
Kentucky and Iowa, it is time you get on the right side of history and apologize to the millions of people you have unduly disenfranchised.
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