User:Cullenlvr2012

“Disenfranchisement is the taking away of voting rights. Most states in the U.S. have enacted laws disenfranchising convicted felons and ex-felons. Laws vary by state, with some state denying voting rights to all felons, only certain felons, felons on probation, felons on parole, felons serving sentences, or a combination of the above…48 states and the District of Columbia prohibit inmates from voting while incarcerated for a felony offense. Only two states, Maine and Vermont, allow inmates to vote. 35 states prohibit felons from voting while they are on parole." A quote from a US Legal Forms Inc article entitled “Disenfranchisement Law & Legal Definition.” It is because I agree with this definition that I stand in the negative of today’s resolution. Resolved: In a democratic society felons ought to retain the right to vote. Before beginning my case it is necessary for me to define a key term from Law.com: Felon- a person who has been convicted of a felony, which is a crime punishable by death or a term in a state or federal prison. Now that I have defined my terms let us move on to my value and value criterion. The value that I will be upholding today is that of societal welfare. Societal welfare, as defined by www.socialpolicy.org, is about how people, communities, and institutions in a society take action to provide certain minimum standards and certain opportunities. It is generally about helping people facing contingencies. My value criterion for today will be Locke’s Social Contract Theory. According to Locke, the State of Nature, the natural condition of mankind, is a state of perfect and complete liberty to conduct one's life as one best sees fit, free from the interference of others. Now that we have defined my value and value criterion we can move on to my areas of contention. Contention 1: Felons have violated the social contract theory and therefore no longer have the right to vote. According to Locke’s social contract theory man has the right to conduct his life as he sees fit, free from interference from others. This does not mean, however, that it is a state of license: one is not free to do anything one pleases, including breaking the law. Felons have broken the social contract theory upon which democratic government is based. Felon’s rights to voting have been taken away because he has violated something he entered into upon entering society, and he has endangered society’s value, therefore endangering the society itself. The felon chose to commit the crime, and so the felon should chose to except the punishment and all the rights they lose in the process. Contention 2: Felons do not have the welfare of the society in mind when acting. When felons committed their crime they only had their own welfare in mind, not the welfare of the society. The same goes for when felons vote, they are only going to have their best interests at heart. When felons vote they will be voting for people that can help them with problems in their facility, humane death punishments, and death sentencing. When felons vote they are marginally increasing the likelihood of that society to become corrupt and unjust. They are marginally increasing the chances of an office holding citizen to just be about what the felons went. When the felons have served their time and want to vote to better the society once they are out of prison they are allowed but because they have committed that crime they no longer have the best interest of society as a whole at heart and cannot be trusted with the privilege of voting. According to the U.S. Department of Justice 95% of felons pleaded guilty to their crimes. The other 5% were found guilty by a jury. This shows that when felons committed their crimes they knew exactly what they were doing and chose to endanger society anyways. I stand in the negative against today’s resolution because of they above mentioned percentages. Resolved: In a democratic society felons ought to retain the right to vote. Thank you I am now open for cross examination.

Abraham Lincoln famously describes the United States government as a government, “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” It is because I agree with president Lincoln that I stand in the affirmative for today’s case. Resolved: In a democratic society felons ought to retain their right to vote. Before beginning my case it is necessary for me to define a few key terms from Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary: Felon- a person who has committed a crime Democratic- of or relating to a government of the people Right- something to which one has a just claim or to which one is entitled Now that I have identified those key points we can move on to my case. The value that I will be upholding today is that of equality. Equality is the basis of free society. Equality, as defined by Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, is the state of regarding or effecting all objects in the same manner or fashion. Equality is generally upheld in good standing by most free thinking people of a democratic society, and is no exception to the felon population. My value criterion is individual agency. This states that the main goal of society is to uphold that individuals in a society have the right to free agent. If people could not make free decisions than society would collapse. Democratic society is based on the idea that free thinking minds can pick good leaders for the country. Now that I have stated my value and value criterion we can move on to my areas of contention. Contention1: No matter what felons are still citizens of their government. When a felon is convicted and sent to jail, they retain their citizenship. A felon may lose certain freedoms, but are never thrown right out of the country. Social contract theory states that when you are convicted of a crime you lose certain rights that we’re granted to you by the government, but since you are never not a citizen of the democracy unless you choose not be, those rights remain yours. 3 out of 50 states do not allow felons to re-establish their right to vote after they are released from prison, and let off parole. This is unjust because we are granted those rights when we become democratic citizens. Felons have been subjected to sentences of jail time is punishment enough. They are taken away from their, families, jobs, lives, and societal interaction to serve for what they have done. To take away rights they are provided by free government is unjust while making them serve for something they have been either admitted to committing, or convicted of committing a crime that they may or may not have done. Taking away their right to vote takes away one of the last shreds of their ties to society that they have. Contention 2: The voting population affects prisoners lives too. 97% of felons do time in minimum security prisons right in their area. Voting for things like Governor, Sheriff, Congressman, Senator, or President will affect their lives. Prisoners have a big impact in the choosing of policies like humane punishments, and death sentencing. If a prisoner is on death row and votes down a bill passing electric chair as a humane punishment in their state then they aren’t subject to the electric chair as a death option. Prisoners also offer a more diverse canvassing range for presidential candidates. The presidential candidates can promise more things to more people and prisoners present a more diverse voting range. Contention 3: Felon disenfranchisement laws are a form of racial discrimination. Legally everyone that is a free abiding citizen of a democracy is granted their right to vote. Many African American, Hispanic, and other racial minorities are imprisoned in jails. They came to democratic countries in search of better rights and freedoms, only to have them taken back away from them. Yet they have had to fight to keep their citizenships, they have had to challenge poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and felon disenfranchisement laws. Over the years most have either been challenged to a point where they are no longer heard of or have been uprooted all together, except one: felon disenfranchisement. Many say felon disenfranchisement is not racially discriminatory, but according to the US Justice Departments’ Report Entitled “Prisoners in 2003” for the prisoners sentenced, 465 White, 1,231 Hispanic, and 3,045 African Americans were sentenced. Felon Disenfranchisement is a form of racial discrimination because racial minorities make up most of the prison population and racial minorities aren’t granted a fair hearsay when most of their population is in prison. "If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost." A quote from Aristotle. It is because I agree with this definition of democracy that I stand in affirmation of the resolution. Resolved: In a democratic society felons ought to retain their right to vote. Thank you I am now open for cross examination.