Is Voting a Civil Right that Felons Should Have Restricted?

Amendment 4 in Florida, is a debate and battle between what is socially right and wrong when

it comes to the topic of felons and voting. In 2018 there was a prior amendment that allowed

felons in Florida to have their voting rights restored. However, the new ruling of the amendment

allows felons to register to vote in the state of Florida, only if they have paid all their fines and

restitution. The underlying debate within this amendment comes down to the concept of

preventing individuals from voting due to their inability to pay.

With the emergence of this, I began to wonder what other states are doing for the vong

rights of the individuals convicted of felonies. 

How lenient are states with felon voting?

The most progressive of states in this topic, are Maine and Vermont, who allow inmates

to vote while incarcerated.  

Less than half of the states (18)  re-instore civil rights to individuals after they are let out

of prison automatically.

Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada,
New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and Washington, D.C.

There are 19 states that restore the right to vote after convicted felons have completed

their sentence, their parole there-after, and any other special requirements.

Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin

Currently there are 9 states, Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky,

Mississippi, Tennessee, and Wyoming, may lose their voting rights completely after
a felony conviction.  OUt of these; there are 4 states, Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, and
Mississippi, where individuals who are convicted of felonies must present themselves
to the governor and ask to have their rights re-established. This is a lengthy process
that does not always result in individuals having their voting privileges reinstated.  

Prison Populations

From all of this I’ve realized that there is a huge population of people that are incarcerated

within the United States. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, this year, 2020, 174,923
people are incarcerated in federal prison. Out of that population there are 45.4% or 73,673
individuals currently incarcerated for drug offenses. Which is one of the many non-violent
felon related convictions in the United States. Also from the Federal Bureau of Prisons statistics,
81% of the inmates are U.S. citizens.   

By restricting, or creating obstacles to individuals who have been convicted of felonies here is a loss to overall votes for each state. With all this in mind there is huge potential for states to gain votes from their incarcerated, or formerly incarcerated for non-violent crimes.

Phillips, A. (2020, February 19). Analysis |
How a court battle on felon voting rights in Florida could affect the 2020 election. Retrieved from

State Felon Voting Laws. (n.d.). Retrieved from 
Federal Bureau of Prisons. (n.d.). Retrieved from