In a democratic society felons ought to retain the right to vote

Alright... your on... I'm a varsity LD debator and this is the case that i just ran... fri/sat of this week.... It has a few holes... but I still like it. My value for today's debate shall be that of Democracy. A democratic system is one which, according to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, refers very generally to a method of group decision making characterized by a kind of equality among the participants at an essential stage of the collective decision making. In essence this form of government is intended to focus on the majority of citizens. When government is run by the majority of citizens, policies favor the many, not the few. When government is run by a few individuals, policies favor the few – the rich or elite, and ignore the rest of society. Only rule by the entire population can preserve freedom and equality because these values benefit the most citizens, while ruling elites are rarely concerned about freedom and equality for the average citizen. My criterion for today's debate shall be that of individual rights. The point and purpose of democracy is to protect the people. A democracy hinges upon the assumption that each individual within the society is entitled to certain rights and privileges. Without individual rights a democracy simply cannot exist. To negate this resolution is to advocate for the disenfranchisement of a certain segment of the populace. To ignore the rights of this segment of the populace is to ignore an intrinsic part of democracy, thus harming the democratic process. Therefore I affirm this resolution; felons ought to have the right to vote within a democratic society. Contention 1, Felon disenfranchisement laws do not help the process of rehabilitating felons and re-integrating them back into society after prison. Subpoint A) The denying of felons the right to vote ultimately causes these felons to lose an important sense of community. It is saying to these people that their thoughts and opinions no longer matter to society because of past mistakes. This sends a negative message to these citizens. The governor of Florida has a similar opinion. He states that, "Giving a person a meaningful way to re-enter society, make a living and participate in our democracy will incentivize good behavior." Subpoint B) A very important question that needs to be asked is why does society punish criminals? According to Merriam Websters Dictionary, as stated earlier, punishment is meant for the purposes of reformation and prevention of crimes? How does the disenfranchisement of felons increase their desire to reform? It doesn't. In fact it has exactly the opposite effect. Labeling an individual a second class citizen will ultimately harm the rehabilitation process. Kevin Krajick of the Washington Post agrees stating, QUOTE "To condemn millions to eternal political silence is to stab our democracy in the heart, and to provide cause for bitterness and alienation. Felons may face many other disabilities: They cannot sit on juries, serve as teachers, firefighters or -- often -- even barbers or plumbers. They cannot receive food stamps or live in public housing. Add to all this the knowledge that whatever they do, no matter how much they have changed, their voices will never be heard in the public arena." END Quote He goes on to say, QUOTE "Voting is not a privilege; it is the basic right that defines a citizen. Those denied it are, in effect, stateless -- people without a country. This is not a partisan issue, but one of basic human rights. People who have paid their debt to society should have their rights restored." END QUOTE Contention 2: The disenfranchisement of felons ultimately harms democracy. Subpoint A) To deny an individual his or her right to vote, regardless of how others may view them, violates the very premise of democracy. A democracy is something which has a main focus of the concept of equality. To disenfranchise a certain group is create a vacuum. That segment of the populace deserves a voice. They have opinions and their opinions should be heard. When a society denies a felon the right to vote they are silencing that individual. They are silencing quite a large segment of the populace. In doing this, the society spreads inequality, and this goes against everything that democracy stands for. Which me to my Subpoint B), when felons are disenfranchised, they are forced to follow without being involved in the decision making process. In essence it is taxation without representation all over again. Matt Welch, Editor-in-Chief at Reason magazine, said "The combined [felon voting] laws have created the democratic world's largest pool of adult citizens living under a system of taxation without representation." This is simply unacceptable. These individuals are being brought subject to gross injustices that ought not be there in the so-called land of the free. To close I shall use the words of Justice Earl Warren a former member of the United States supreme court who presided over the Reynolds v. Sims case in which he stated that, "… history has seen a continuing expansion of the scope of the right of suffrage in this country. The right to vote freely for the candidate of one's choice is of the essence of a democratic society, and any restrictions on that right strike at the heart of representative government."