Comments on: Rural Prisons and Political Clout http://ruralpopulist.org/2005/10/16/rural-prisons-and-policital-clout/ Rural News and Views Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:56:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Jerry http://ruralpopulist.org/2005/10/16/rural-prisons-and-policital-clout/#comment-251 Mon, 24 Oct 2005 03:42:32 +0000 http://ruralpopulist.org/2005/10/16/rural-prisons-and-policital-clout/#comment-251 Instead of sorting out all the issues you mention, let me make one clear statement: The right to vote should be an inalienable Constitutional right and all prisoners should be voting. If they count as residents of the district where they are imprisoned, so be it. Their voting power may sober up the rural populace who welcome prisons as jobs for themselves, and who see long mandatory minimum prison sentences as job security. Maybe if these prisoners could affect school bond issues or the local sheriff's re-election, they would not be so content to see prison populations rise. Instead of sorting out all the issues you mention, let me make one clear statement:

The right to vote should be an inalienable Constitutional right and all prisoners should be voting.

If they count as residents of the district where they are imprisoned, so be it. Their voting power may sober up the rural populace who welcome prisons as jobs for themselves, and who see long mandatory minimum prison sentences as job security. Maybe if these prisoners could affect school bond issues or the local sheriff’s re-election, they would not be so content to see prison populations rise.

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