Should felons be allowed to vote? - 2012 Presidential Election - ProCon.org

Explore Pros & Cons of Controversial Issues

2012 Presidential Election

Last updated on: 10/15/2012 9:15:09 AM PST

Should felons be allowed to vote?

Democrat

Republican

3rd Parties / Independents

	Barack Obama Pro
Former Candidates
Candidate Summary Chart
Additional Resources

Mitt Romney
Con

Virgil Goode
Con

Gary Johnson
Pro

Jill Stein
Pro

Candidates' positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found. Candidates who have changed their positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Candidates are listed by party and in alphabetical order by last name. Black & white photos indicate candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria for inclusion.

Should felons be allowed to vote?

Pro (Yes)

Con (No)

Virgil Goode (Cst) - Con

Virgil Goode, former US Representative (R-VA), provided the following statement in a May 14, 2012 email to ProCon.org:

"No."
May 14, 2012 Virgil Goode

Gary Johnson (Lib) - Pro

Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, signed into law Senate Bill 204

(8 KB) on Mar. 15, 2001, An Act Relating to Elections; Restoring the Right to Vote to a Person Convicted of a Felony who has Satisfied All Conditions of a Sentence; Amending, Repealing and Enacting Sections of the NMSA 1978, available at www.nmlegis.gov:

Senate Bill 204 stated in part: "A person who has served the entirety of a sentence imposed for a felony conviction, including a term of probation or parole shall, upon his request to the corrections department, be issued a certificate of completion by the corrections department. Presentation of the certificate of completion to a county clerk shall entitle the person to register to vote."
Mar. 15, 2001 Gary Johnson

Barack Obama (D) - Pro

Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, stated the following in a Dec. 2007 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) questionnaire titled "The NAACP 2008 Presidential Candidate Civil Rights Questionnaire"

(1.1 MB), available at www.naacp.org:

"I support restoration of voting rights for ex-offenders. I am a cosponsor of the Count Every Vote Act, and would sign that legislation into law as president."
Dec. 2007 Barack Obama

Mitt Romney (R) - Con

Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, stated the following during the Jan. 16, 2012 Republican presidential candidate debate in Myrtle Beach, SC, sponsored by Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and the South Carolina Republican Party, available at foxnewsinsider.com:

"I think people who committed violent crimes should not be allowed to vote again…

As governor of Massachusetts, I had an 85 percent Democratic legislature. This is something we discussed. My view was people who committed violent crimes should not be able to vote, even upon coming out of office.

In my state, I had a state that — that said that they did not favor my position. I’m not letting felons who had committed violent crimes vote. I think it’s a — a position that’s reasonable, and that’s the position I’ve got."
Jan. 16, 2012 Mitt Romney

Jill Stein (Grn) - Pro

Jill Stein, MD, former Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, stated the following in her Jan. 2012 speech "A People's State of the Union: A Green New Deal for America," available at www.jillstein.org:

“Restore the vote to ex-offenders who’ve paid their debt to society.”
Jan. 2012 Jill Stein

FORMER CANDIDATES

(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear
below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)

Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann
None Found

Herman Cain

Herman Cain
None Found

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich
None Found

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman
None Found

Ron Paul

Ron Paul
None Found

Rick Perry

Rick Perry
None Found

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum
Pro

Buddy Roemer

Buddy Roemer
None Found

Pro (Yes)

Con (No)

Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 4, 2012; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate’s position on this question.

Herman Cain

Herman Cain (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Dec. 3, 2011; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate’s position on this question.

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich (R) - None Found

Withdrew on May 2, 2012; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate’s position on this question.

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 16, 2012; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate’s position on this question.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul (R) - None Found

No position found as of Mar. 21, 2012

Rick Perry

Rick Perry (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 19, 2012; no position found as of that date.

Buddy Roemer

Buddy Roemer (Ind) - None Found

No position found as of Mar. 23, 2012

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum (R) - Pro

Rick Santorum, former US Senator (R-PA), stated the following during the Jan. 16, 2012 Republican presidential candidate debate in Myrtle Beach, SC, sponsored by Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and the South Carolina Republican Party, available at www.presidency.ucsb.edu:

"[D]o you [Mit Romney] believe, do you believe that felons who have served their time, gone through probation and parole, exhausted their entire sentence, should they be given the right to have a vote?

This is Martin Luther King Day. This is a huge deal in the African- American community, because we have very high rates of incarceration, disproportionately high rates, particularly with drug crimes, in the African-American community.

The bill I voted on was the Martin Luther King Voting Rights bill. And this was a provision that said, particularly targeted African-Americans. And I voted to allow — to allow them to have their voting rights back once they completed their sentence."
Jan. 16, 2012 Rick Santorum

Additional Resources:

Should Felons Who Have Completed Their Sentences (Incarceration, Probation, and Parole) Be Allowed to Vote? - See the 2016 presidential candidates' positions on this issue.

Should felons be allowed to vote? - See our standard site with 25+ questions and 120+ biographies related to felon voting.

Are felon disenfranchisement laws a form of racial discrimination?

Is felon disenfranchisement unconstitutional?

State Felon Voting Laws

Incarcerated Felon Population in the US by Type of Crime Committed, 1974-2008

Jail, Prison, Parole, and Probation Populations in the US, 1980-2009

Historical Timeline US History of Felon Voting / Disenfranchisement

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