Original article from: The Hill
The battle over felon voting rights in the critical swing state of Florida is heating up with the Oct. 5 registration deadline in the state fast approaching.
Voting rights activists are scrambling to pay off the debts of felons who have completed their sentences following a court decision requiring them to clear all fines and fees before they’re able to vote. Critics have argued the law amounts to a poll tax, and groups and individuals have sought to raise money to help pay off the debts, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has raised millions for the effort and has paid off monetary obligations for at least 32,000 felons to date, according to The Washington Post.
LEFT VIEWPOINTS
Bloomberg paid fines for felons to vote, but there’s a bigger point.
- The biggest question we should be asking is, “Why are ex-felons denied the right to vote in the first place?”
- Every of-age American Citizen, regardless of their past, should be guaranteed the right to vote.
- Voting should be as easy as possible if it can be reasonably secure. Mail-in voting, early voting, and ballot drop-off boxes are secure ways for people to vote.
- Preventing of-age people from voting is voter suppression. This includes ex-felons and even current prisoners. The reason is that there is an incentive to put people in prison to suppress the vote.
- The Republicans are furious about this. Instead of changing their far-right ideological positions to appeal to all Americans, they attempt to suppress Americans’ right to vote. The GOP needs to change its ways.
Michael Bloomberg just caused Trump to lose more sleep and triggered another Twitter tantrum, but there is a more significant, important point to think about than Trump’s tweet.
Bloomberg helped raise money to pay the fines and restitution so felons could vote before the 2020 election. Trump isn’t happy about it, but the biggest poiny is, “Why are ex-felons denied the right to vote in the first place?”
Felons lose their right to vote during incarceration in 21 states. In many states, felons lose their voting right even after they’ve been released. Often they have high fees that they must pay to restore their right to vote, which is essentially a poll tax. Virginia, Kentucky, and Iowa strip felons’ voting rights for life. They are permanently disenfranchised.
Voter suppression is an enormous problem in the United States. In 2016, Donald Trump actively paid for ads with false claims designed to prevent black Americans from voting. He likely would have lost the election had this not happened. In the United States, we should encourage people to vote and strive to have a platform worth voting for. The GOP can’t do that, so they rely on suppressing votes and hoping many voters stay home. That isn’t going to make America great.
Voting should be as easy as possible. Mail-in voting, early voting, and ballot drop-off boxes are secure ways for more people to vote, and they reduce long lines on election day.
Preventing people from voting is voter suppression. Disenfranchising ex-felons and current prisoners are forms of voter suppression. If we believe in rehabilitation for felons then the right to vote must be part of that. Felons broke the law, but there are times when our laws are so unjust that a bigger issue goes unnoticed. Felons likely know better than anyone why someone commits crimes. They should be able to vote based on their unique experience. When we take away their right to vote we lose a voice that can help make our country better. It’s far better to incorporate felons back into society rather than treat them as outcasts.