Feingold Introduces Legislation to ReEnfranchise Ex-Convict Americans
Senator Russell Feingold of Wisconsin will earn no points with the Law And Order segment of American society, the segment that pushes for ever-more harsh, broad and long-term punishment against convicted criminals. These are the people who banish people convicted of sex offenses to live under bridges after they have been released from prison. These are the people who seek to remove parole as an option of the incarceration system. And these are the people who seek to permanently remove the right to vote from American citizens.
No, Russ Feingold will earn no points from the Law and Order crowd today with the news that he has introduced legislation to reintroduce voting rights for citizens after their release from prison. S. 1516 declares:
“The right of an individual who is a citizen of the United States to vote in any election for Federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless such individual is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution or facility at the time of the election.”
Such a move may not be popular among the pro-punishment set, but it does stand in congruence with the notion that, outside of and after the payment of debt in time for a crime, Americans ought to possess the full exercise of their rights as citizens. That’s an idea consonant with the constitution, and it’s one worth fighting for. The introduction of S. 1516 won’t advance the career of Russ Feingold as a politician, but it will elevate his status as a statesman.
P.S. Also notable is the cosponsorship of this legislation by Benjamin Cardin and Sheldon Whitehouse.
