I applaud Joe Gallenstein in his efforts to help restore voting rights to felons. Matthew Sparks would have you believe that all felons are rapists and murderers that do not deserve the right to vote, and this is simply not the case. Not all felons have committed violent crimes. A felony is easily obtained for any number of illegal acts, many of them non-violent in nature. Regardless of the nature of the crime, our legal system is set up so that punishment for these crimes is given in the form of a jail sentence. After a person has served his or her jail sentence, they have paid the debt to society. Taking away their right to vote not only punishes them twice, but also helps prevent them from ever being able to integrate themselves fully back into society.

Allison Spears

Latin American studies senior