Why come criminals aren allowed to vote after being in prison?
Few people realize that voting rights are left up to the states — a legacy of the South’s post-Civil War effort to prohibit newly freed slaves from voting. California’s voting laws, however, are relatively liberal compared to the 14 states that permanently bar ex-felons from voting and the 29 states that prevent criminals from voting while on probation. Only two states — Maine and Vermont — follow the European pattern of allowing all inmates and ex- convicts to vote. You’re probably thinking this has nothing to do with you. But you would be wrong. It could affect your troubled teenager. As New York defense attorney Andrew Shapiro has noted, “An 18-year-old first-time offender who trades a guilty plea for a nonprison sentence may unwittingly sacrifice forever his right to vote.” That’s right: In some states, your child could finish probation, work and pay taxes, but never be able to vote again — a clear instance of taxation without representation. The people most affected by these l
