Let’s say a released felon has paid ALL of his debts to society. He has completed his parole successfully, and he has paid all of his fines. Then I don’t see why his rights should not be restored.
It’s up to each state. But seems a bit harsh that a citizen who committed a felony say 20 years ago cannot vote or exercise his 2A rights.
Yeah, I know that guy shouldn’t have committed that felony in the first place. But he has already paid for that.
Losing the right to vote was part of the prescribed punishment for the crimes they committed. It is no different than if a felon was sentenced to life in prison and then all prisoners were arbitrarily released one day because someone decided that they had paid all of their debts to society.
In Florida, previously the felon petitioned the court individually to have his rights restored. A judge would review the petition and decide if the felon merited restoration. Most felons don’t want to pay an attorney to do this, so they didnt bother. The Dims took the matter to the uninformed voters of my state and the amendment was passed above the 60% threshold. Mrs Colonel Buzzsaw and I voted against it. We are moving to Georgia on Jan 4. See ya!