May 02, 2005

Why It Isn't Wrong to Deny Felons the Vote

In 48 states, voting by felons is restricted. However, Hillary Clinton and other like-minded Dems would like to restore felons' voting rights. Why?

One could guess that Dems simply are hoping that, given the right to vote once again, felons will feel grateful to the political party that spearheaded the effort. Edward Feser of City Journal discusses the case at length:

The most frequently heard charge is that disenfranchising felons is racist because the felon population is disproportionately black. But the mere fact that blacks make up a lopsided percentage of the nationÕs prison population doesnÕt prove that racism is to blame. Is the mostly male population of the prisons evidence of reverse sexism? Of course not: men commit the vast majority of serious crimesÑa fact no one would disputeÑand thatÕs why there are lots more of them than women behind bars. Regrettably, blacks also commit a disproportionate number of felonies, as victim surveys show. In any case, a felon either deserves his punishment or not, whatever his race. If he does, it may also be that he deserves disenfranchisement. His race, in both cases, is irrelevant.

Click the link above to read the whole thing. It's simply brilliant.

Show Comments »