Felons and voting

Maggie says:
Is it just me, or is it ridiculous that felons don't have the right to vote in many states? Given the scandals over the felon purge lists in Florida and other states, why not drop the issue altogether and just allow them to vote? (By the way, in case you haven't been paying attention, Jeb Bush has already tried the same purging techniques that were so successful in Florida in 2000. Luckily, Democrats got them thrown out this time.) This is real disenfranchisement, affecting millions of men and women in this country. It's too bad this issue has become politicized - the fact that a huge chunk of these felons (who in some states can be denied the right to vote just by passing a bad check) are African-American males is even more reason for many conservative powers-that-be to deny them. But I've also heard people of all political persuasions say that supporting felons' voting rights is being soft on crime. I don't understand that at all. We're talking basic rights here. Check out the Right to Vote campaign for more info.