I'm looking forward to his explaining why Dylan Roof should be able to vote in South Carolina. The Primary for SC is right before Super Tuesday. All he did wrong was shoot up that black Church. It's not like he exploded a pressure-cooker bomb at the Boston Marathon or something.
@Cyber Liberty@mystery-ak @Once-Ler@edpc@Others
Taking away a citizen's right to vote:
There is punishment when one is convicted of a crime - time in prison, probation, etc.. If the person is a US citizen, the person is still a citizen of the United States. A citizen can vote. Taking away his/her right to vote would mean he/she is not a citizen anymore, and that cannot be done.
Taking away citizenship conferred on a person from birth in these United States, or conferred another way under our law, is like a person can be born and then killed - that is wrong but accepted under law today as "ending a pregnancy" for "cause". It is still murder. Likewise, a person born in the US, or by conferred right to citizenship, is a citizen and taking away those birth or conferred rights is murder of rights, just as abortion is murder.
Taking away the right to vote, is outside the punishment for the crime. It is like saying, "You did this crime and now, because I can do it, you can't vote - take that, you criminal."
Texas law at this time is this:
A person in jail who has not been convicted can vote absentee ballot.
Once convicted, the person cannot vote.
If released on bail, the person can vote.
After time served or put on probation, the person can vote.
A story:
A man on probation for sexual contact with a minor, filed to run for Republican Chairman of our county. My husband was the Republican Chairman. Due to his filing for Republican Chairman against my husband, I had to check to know if this man on probation could run for office. My research of these laws regarding the rights of criminals regarding elections, told me this man could run for office. He was actually a rabid Democrat who filed against my husband "because he could". When his candidacy was announced in the local paper, he said his qualification for the job was, "I was a cheerleader in high school." He lost of course, but he could vote and run for office while on probation.