A tree stump can map out the circumstances of a tree’s life but regardless of those situations people will always identify them as trees and the same concept applies to convicted felons. Despite our different backgrounds, we are all human. Passing this bill to restore voting rights to convicted felons aims to repair these gaps and ensure every citizen can contribute to our nation.
Let’s overview one root cause to pass this bill. Adding onto what Senator Chung, Nengan and Shi passed, this bill allows ethnic minorities to engage in politics by giving convicted felons the right to vote which the affirmative fails to refute. In 2022, the Brennan Center for Justice reported that “One in every 13 voting-age African Americans cannot vote, a disenfranchisement rate more than four times greater than that of all other Americans. In four states, more than one in five black adults are denied their right to vote.” Since ethnic minorities are already underrepresented in politics, blocking their right to vote exacerbates their disadvantage. This bill would help ensure they have a voice, upholding our commitment to equality.
Next let’s discuss a benefit that stems from passing. Passing this bill decreases chances of convicted felons getting arrested again by reintegrating them into their community. The Sentencing project in 2023 stated “After dividing states into two groups, they found that individuals were approximately 10% less likely to recidivate if they were released in automatic restoration states versus permanent disenfranchisement states.” This is significant because convicted felons won’t have the intentions to commit more crime causing a decrease in crime all together. A decrease in crime all together increases public safety for our nation which is why passing this bill is crucial.
Senator Daniel, Senator Ma, and Senator Lin, have stated that these criminals are responsible for their crimes but there are clearly circumstances where felons have not committed their crime. If it doesn’t make sense to take voting rights of innocent people then how would it make sense to take it away from the accused.This data is showing the statistics for when prisoners are barred from voting this will change once they have the right to vote.
Just like all trees have access to the same sun, we should all be given the same rights.