In Virginia, if one is convicted of a felony, he is automatically disenfranchised for life. Upon being released from prison, he may endure a 6-month long appeals process with the hopes that the governor will grant him his voting rights once again. Virginia is only one of two states (the other being Kentucky) to disenfranchise all felons for life. This practice delegitimizes the legal system and democracy in Virginia, and thus must be removed from the law books. If Virginia is to maintain a claim to upholding liberty and justice, felons must be immediately granted their voting rights upon being released from prison.
The prison system is either a form of punishment, a method of rehabilitation, or some combination of both in most views. When the state punishes a felon by sending him to prison, the hope is that the offender will reconsider his actions, and, if the crime is not terribly serious, one day return to society as a productive member. By continuing to punish felons after they have served their time by keeping them disenfranchised, the state is undermining the role of the prison system. What is the role of the prison system if the state continues to punish citizens after they have paid their debt to society?
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