can a convicted felon vote?
963552
not in California.  Different states have different laws.
983378
In certain states there is a form you fill out to send to the governor of that state to ask to reinstate your right to vote. I know KY is one but other states you have to go before a Clemency board. I found this article:\n\nState-by-state look at the voting restoration process for felons\nBy The Associated Press  |  April 1, 2006\n\nEvery state has a different process for restoring voting rights to ex-felons. An estimated 5.3 million people nationwide are ineligible to vote because of a felony conviction, according to The Sentencing Project, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C.\n\nArticle Tools\nPrinter friendly \nE-mail to a friend \nR.I. RSS feed \nAvailable RSS feeds \nMost e-mailed \nMore:\nGlobe City/Region stories | \nLatest local news | \nGlobe front page | \nBoston.com \nSign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts VOTING RIGHTS NOT TAKEN AWAY (PRISONERS MAY VOTE):\n\n--Maine\n\n--Vermont\n\nVOTING RIGHTS RESTORED AFTER RELEASE FROM PRISON:\n\n--District of Columbia\n\n--Hawaii\n\n--Illinois\n\n--Indiana\n\n--Massachusetts: Up until 2000, the state allowed inmates to vote. The state's voters passed a constitutional amendment that instead allows voting rights to be restored after release from prison.\n\n--Michigan\n\n--Montana\n\n--New Hampshire\n\n--North Dakota\n\n--Ohio\n\n--Oregon\n\n--Pennsylvania\n\n--Utah\n\nVOTING RIGHTS RESTORED AFTER RELEASE FROM PRISON AND COMPLETION OF PAROLE:\n\n--California\n\n--Colorado\n\n--Connecticut: In 2001, Former Gov. John G. Rowland signed into law a bill extending voting rights to felons on probation.\n\n--New York\n\n--South Dakota\n\nVOTING RIGHTS RESTORED AFTER COMPLETION OF PRISON, PAROLE AND PROBATION:\n\n--Alaska\n\n--Arkansas\n\n--Georgia\n\n--Idaho\n\n--Iowa: In an executive order last year, Gov. Tom Vilsack granted automatic restoration of voting rights to convicted felons who have completed their sentences, probation or parole. It affected about 30,000 convicted felons. Until then, felons had to appeal individually for clemency, a lengthy and complex process that required investigation by the parole board and a review by the governor.\n\n--Kansas: In 2002, the Legislature added probationers to the category of felons ineligible to vote.\n\n--Louisiana\n\n--Minnesota\n\n--Missouri\n\n--Nebraska: Last year, the Legislature repealed the lifetime ban on all felons and replaced it with a two-year post-sentence ban. Gov. Dave Heineman's veto was overridden by the Legislature.\n\n--New Jersey\n\n--New Mexico: In 2001, the Legislature repealed the state's lifetime ban on ex-felon voting. Last year, lawmakers required the Department of Corrections to provide notification of completion of sentence to the secretary of state's office.\n\n--North Carolina\n\n--Oklahoma\n\n--Rhode Island: Under a measure being considered by the General Assembly, voters in Rhode Island could decide this year whether the state constitution should be amended to allow convicted felons to vote once they are released from prison.\n\n--South Carolina\n\n--Texas\n\n--Washington: A King County Superior judge ruled last month that felons who completed their sentence but have not paid back outstanding fines cannot be denied the right to vote. The state says it will appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.\n\n--West Virginia\n\n--Wisconsin\n\nVOTING RIGHTS FOR SOME FELONY CONVICTIONS ONLY RESTOREDON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS\n\n--Alabama: In 2003, Gov. Bob Riley signed a law that permits most felons to apply for a certificate of eligibility to register to vote after completing their sentence.\n\n--Arizona: Two-time ex-felons must wait two years before applying for a certificate of discharge. First-time felons are automatically restored rights after completing prison, probation and parole.\n\n--Delaware: In 2000, the General Assembly passed a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to some ex-felons five years after the completion of their sentence.\n\n--Maryland: In 2002, th
366499
no.\n\nVermont and one other state allows voting on State issues, but the others don't. \n\nIt's called disenfranchisement. A pretty good way to get the wrong people out of the voting booths; just make them felons. Got rid of a lot of blacks that way. \n\nHmm. If everyone became a felon, and couldn't vote, would it still be a democracy?
711849
Your friend lost that privilege when he became a felon. He lost a lot of US privileges-such as voting, fishing license, owning a gun, crossing any border-etc. WHY? A felony is considered a serious crime, a person usually does time in the pen for a felony.
738729
I tried to get all my dead relatives to vote.\n\nAlso, I worked hard to get several felons to vote.
686521
In michigan you can if you have a clean record after the felony. Maybe in jesus land its the same
25488
It varies by the state, and the crime.  In many states (probably most, though I don't know) felons are disenfranchised, meaning they can no longer vote, in prison or afterwards.  I know of no state in which people convicted of misdemeanors are deprived of the right to vote.\n\nIn some states felons regain the right to vote after a peroid of time, or after applying for the right in certain circumstances.
733177
My understanding is that when you have been convicted of a crime, your fate is 100% up to the judge or jury.\n\nThe judge can decide to either jail you, or allow probation.  If he has the power to incarcerate you, why wouldn't he have the power to decide where you "do your probabtion"?
770887
Once a felon ALWAYS a felon.
807126
A convicted felon automatically loses their voting rights. However, after time has been served their rights may be restored. The conditions to do so vary from state to state.For example, in the state of Tennessee one would have to appear before the circuit court judge and have a court order signed to have voting rights restored.
561982
I am a convicted felon. I think you should first learn to write a question that makes sense. "do they supposed to do" WTF go to school or go back to a life of crime.
536475
You should certainly check that out; I understand that many ex-convicts have obtained law degrees and made careers in the legal field, as lawyers, private investigators, parole officers, sometimes even as cops.  Restrictions vary by state.  Your felony conviction will remain on your record (as you know) but it is not necessarily an impediment.  Good luck.
798088
It varies by state. 48 States currently disenfranchise ex-felons, either temporarily (until the probation is up), indefinitely (until they jump through administrative hoops), or permanently.\n\nThe justification comes from an obscure clause in the 14th Amendment, which prohibits states from disenfranchising people based on race, except for felons. This was interpreted by the Supreme Court as authority to disenfranchise felons, since there is no constitutional punishment for doing so.
1098904
I thought they could vote once they are off probation or parole for the offense?
808193
Well, sure.  Just look at Congress. It's full of ex-cons and they vote on stuff all the time.\n\nActually, I don't think felons should.  It's just one of the many consequences of breaking the law.
601309
It depends on the State.  It is a permanent disqualification in many states, but here in Texas, a felon regains the right to register to vote when the case is fully discharged, i.e. no more time, probation or parole.
102626
If you haven't been convicted, you don't have a crime.\n\nI've known convicted felons who have served as probation officers after they've served their sentences and been released and accumulated a good record of community involvement and service. Parole officer, I'm sure, has much stricter guidelines.\n\nThis is such a state-by-state, county-by-county position that no one answer can be definitive. I would recommend talking to a local judge for his view on this, and possibly his sponsorship toward these positions.