this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2023
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Also, seems kind of scary that this implies a future where so many people are in prison that their vote could actually tip the balance ?

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[โ€“] [email protected] 27 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (9 children)

Also keep in mind that they count those prisoners as part of the census, which affects how resources are distributed.

So they're counted, but don't get a vote. Ripe for abuse by unscrupulous politicians.

[โ€“] [email protected] 10 points 2 years ago (7 children)

It's almost like they shouldn't be counted at all unless they are free to vote. But the states with significant prison populations wouldn't go for that. Maybe we can compromise. Perhaps only 3 out of every 5 disenfranchised prisoners should count for representation purposes.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

The only problem there is that the count also determines how federal money is distributed. Undocumented/illegal immigrants still use interstates and water mains and disaster money and national parks and federal buildings. Unless we want funding cut, we still have to count them.

*Edit: I'm embarrassed that I got all that written before 3/5 hit me. "The only problem" ๐Ÿ˜ฌ

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