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Notes -
I write in favor of letting criminals vote. The main argument is that gatekeeping the franchise is not easy and requires a lot of state capacity to securely enforce it. Most of the world lets current and former criminals vote, and I generally don't find arguments to restrict it to be very convincing:
Beyond whether or not disenfranchisement is the right thing to do, there's also the question of implementation:
And beyond implementation by the state, there's also the question of how normal people are expected to navigate the cobwebs:
And finally:
In my opinion, we should be limiting the franchise, not expanding it. Expanding it does not lead to improved outcomes, it only dilutes the votes of people who would make good judgements on which politicians we should be electing. Criminals, especially felons, have notoriously bad judgement. Why should we want their input on governing our society?
How would you feel about a politician who agreed with you in principal but was able to enact legislation that included you among the disenfranchised? I don't know your personal history but one could presumably construct some sort of schema whereby it's presumed that your judgment would be worse than those who are given the franchise.
I'm young and probably not a net contributor to taxes yet. I would gladly have my franchise taken away if it meant that people like me (who overwhelmingly vote the opposite way I do) could not vote anymore. Based on those characteristics, it is perfectly correct to presume that my judgement would be worse than, say, net taxpayers.
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