Voting Rights

The history of America can be told in a million ways
but
If you wanted to focus on voting rights
it could be a short story.

The people in charge were scared about what would happen
if non landowners could vote
if african americans could vote
if women could vote.
(and now, people with a conviction...)

Each time, they raised a fuss and they worried.

Each time the party in power predicted terrible things.

When those American citizens got their rights,
nothing all that terrible happened.


If you are concerned about felony voters, you might have a point.   Maybe violent criminals of a certain type should lose the right to vote.   You probably would agree with Florida, which voted some but not all felons retain their right to vote.

What counts as a felony might surprise you.   Murder and mail fraud are both felonies.   Doing errands for a bad man puts you in RICO trouble no matter what you specifically did.   Drug offenses don't follow logical sentencing guidelines.

If you are ok with all felonies being a disqualification, then explain why no national law has ever been proposed.   Certain conservative states do it.   Why?  I can't say.  If it's the right thing to do it's telling a national law has not been tried.

If you are ok with disenfranchisement, consider Washington DC.   The Constitution gives legislative control over the district to Congress, but consider this fact.   The people of our nations capital can vote for president, but they do not have the right to be represented by a voting member of Congress, the exact body that exerts control over them.

Is living in DC the same as a felony?  Since residents can vote for president is it a half felony?

Are we still debating the taxation without representation thing?

I must have missed that.

If you have never suggested a national bill to take away felons right to vote, and if you have never been troubled by DC voters not having a voice in Congress, you don't have the ability to argue that voting rights is a moral issue.

It's a fear issue. 

What if the wrong people show up to vote?  What would they vote for?

I trust our populace.  I register people to vote every election and never ask their party.  There is some research and evidence backing the wisdom of the crowd, but mostly I trust us to course correct when the crowd makes a mistake.

After all, we aren't Germany.