Miscellaneous

Felon Voting Rights - Civics

Hi Everyone!

     In the many weeks we've been writing blog posts, we have yet to mention one of the courses that some of us are taking: civics. This is a non-DP class that we are required to take to complete our high school diploma, but it doesn't mean that it's any less interesting! At the moment, we are studying Chapter 4 that focuses on some of the amendments of our Constitution. So, I thought it'd be interesting to tell you all about a recent issue that relates to some of these amendments!

     One of the issues that has been heavily debated about in the US recently is felon voting rights. By law, no criminal (even those who have served their sentence, probation and parole) is allowed to vote whether they committed a non-violent crime or not. Republican Senator Rand Paul has been fighting for felons to be able to vote, but has been unsuccessful so far. He argues that it violates the Equal Protection Clause under the 14th amendment, and that it disenfranchises many people, particularly black men. He targets this racial group because 3 out of 4 adults in prison are black, and that in Florida one in every 5 black people cannot vote due to this law. Over 5.8 million Americans are unable to vote due to their past criminal record to this date! One of the major reasons for Senator Rand Paul's advocacy on this subject is because he believes that it will help build a bridge between Republicans and African Americans - a possible reason for the Party's loss during the 2012 election.

Above is a portrait of Senator Rand Paul.

What do you all think about this issue?

- Sophie F.