Should convicted criminals have the right to vote?

Last answered 8 hours ago

Yes

73,291 votes

52%

No

66,724 votes

48%

Distribution of answers submitted by Wisconsin voters.

29%

Yes

48%

No

15%

Yes, but only after completing their sentences and parole/probation

5%

Yes, except for felons convicted of murder or violent crimes

3%

Yes, every citizen deserves the right to vote

4 Yes answers

1 No answers

0 overlapping answers

Data includes total votes submitted by visitors since Apr 25, 2016. For users that answer more than once (yes we know), only their most recent answer is counted in the total results. Total percentages may not add up to exactly 100% as we allow users to submit "grey area" stances that may not be categorized into yes/no stances.

In April 2016, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order which restored voting rights to more than 200,000 convicted felons living in the state. The order overturned the state’s practice of felony disenfranchisement, which excludes people from voting who have been convicted of a criminal defense. The 14th amendment of the United States prohibits citizens from voting who have participated in a “rebellion, or other crime” but allows states to determine which crimes qualify for voter disenfranchisement. In the U.S. approximately 5.8 million people are ineligible to vote due to voter disenfranchisement and only two states, Maine and Vermont, have no restrictions on allowing felons to vote. Opponents of felon voting rights argue that a citizen forfeits their rights to vote when they are convicted of a felony. Proponents argue that the arcane law disenfranchises millions of Americans from participating in democracy and has an adverse affect on poor communities.  See recent criminal voting rights news