Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is facing criticism for saying incarcerated Americans shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
Last night, at a huge CNN Town Hall event with five Democratic candidates, the issues of votes for incarcerated felons came up when Bernie Sanders was asked if all people, even the Boston Marathon bomber, should be allowed to vote.
This is how Sanders answered:
I think the right to vote is inherent to our democracy. Yes, even for terrible people, because once you start chipping away… you’re running down a slippery slope.
So I believe that [when] people commit crimes they pay the price, when they get out of jail they certainly should have the right to vote. But I do believe that even if they are in jail… that should not take away their inherent American right to participate in our democracy.
But Buttigieg had a different answer, arguing that incarcerated felons should not be allowed to vote until they are out of prison.
Pete Buttigieg says incarcerated felons should not be allowed to vote #ButtigiegTownHall https://t.co/5pa1b251Io https://t.co/jGMkRX0hQf— CNN Politics (@CNN Politics) 1555991460
Asked by CNN whether prisoners should be allowed to vote in prison and upon their release, Mayor Pete said:
While incarcerated? No, I don't think so. I do believe that when you're out and you've served your sentence, part of being restored to society is that you're part of the political life of this nation again. One of the things that needs to be restored is your right to vote, some communities and some states do it but some don't.
I think we'd be a better country if everyone did it, and frankly I think the motivations for preventing that kind of re-enfranchisement, in some cases, have to do with one side of the aisle noticing that they politically benefit from that, and that's got some racial layers to it.
Adding:
I believe re-enfranchisement, is important but part of the punishment when you're convicted of a crime and you're incarcerated, you lose certain rights, you lose your freedom. I think during that period it does not make sense to have an exception.
Kamala Harris was also asked about the issue and essentially dodged the question – saying “I think we should have that conversation”.
Although, she did suggest she would back votes for ex-convicts.
The issue of votes for incarcerated felons is a controversial topic - mainly due to many state laws dating back to the late 19th century, when Southern lawmakers tried to stop black voters.
Because of that history, a lot of people reacted angrily to Buttigieg’s answer.
Unacceptable answer from @PeteButtigieg. The practice of depriving people in prison of voting rights is rooted in W… https://t.co/A4Z3tIImPp— Ben Spielberg (@Ben Spielberg) 1555999709
Pete Buttigeig: People shouldn't be able to vote while incarcerated. Young woman, top right: #truestory… https://t.co/2f045XF1y9— Ali Harb (@Ali Harb) 1555990718
And other people criticised him over how his position ignores flaws in the US justice system and imprisonment.
Voting rights for incarcerated felons make sense because citizenship shouldn’t be taken away when a U.S. justice sy… https://t.co/pzvNFHXxUD— Jamil Smith جميل كريم (@Jamil Smith جميل كريم) 1556055067
Does @PeteButtigieg really think these California brave prisoners who get paid just $1/hr to fight our out of contr… https://t.co/Ubk8wYkOs4— Murshed Zaheed (@Murshed Zaheed) 1556056764
When Buttigieg responded that prisoners should be denied the right to vote, I couldn't help but think of the queer… https://t.co/tS4a6yJMyh— Raquel Willis (@Raquel Willis) 1555990571
The framing of the question was a particular issue for some people, who pointed out that the Boston Marathon bomber is a sensationalised example and does not reflect typical incarcerated felons.
This moment shows the importance of framing. "Should the Boston Bomber be allowed to vote from prison?" is a much d… https://t.co/t039g6I6GR— Astead (@Astead) 1556033635
And the backlash showed how enthusiasm may be cooling towards Buttigieg, after he had a major “moment” earlier this month and saw a sudden surge in support.
learning about Pete Buttigieg has been like getting excited by a great teaser trailer for a cool looking movie that… https://t.co/3SRyXOgrkd— maura quint (@maura quint) 1556063498
A friend who was a big Buttigieg supporter just walked in to tell me he had switched to Warren...— Noah Smith 🌐+🧦=🐇 (@Noah Smith 🌐+🧦=🐇) 1556053637
No matter where you stand on this issue, it’s worth keeping in mind that the Democratic nomination process is only in its earliest stage.
2020 is still a long way off and there are going to be lots of other issues to discuss.
While the backlash is bad for "Mayor Pete", it doesn’t mean we should rule him out just yet.
HT: The Daily Dot