New ProCon.org Website Stirs National Controversy on Felon Voting Issue
Florida and Maryland felon voting laws have been relaxed. Public debate on the felon voting issue is surging. ProCon.org steps in to bring comprehensive information from 80 Pro and Con politicians, scholars, judges, activists, and experts.
Santa Monica, CA (PRWEB) May 2, 2007 -- ProCon.org launched its 9th website today, Felon Voting ProCon.org (www.felonvotingprocon.org) , on the heels of Florida and Maryland making historic changes to their felon voting laws.
Disenfranchised felon populations (an estimated 5.26 million people in 2004 who may not vote due to criminal convictions) may be large enough to sway close elections, if those individuals had the legal ability to vote. With the 2008 national election only twenty months away, felon voting laws, which vary from state to state (from lifetime voting bans to no restrictions at all, not even while in prison in Maine and Vermont), are under scrutiny. With few organizations exploring this controversy, ProCon.org built a one-stop website so the issue could be widely debated in a nonpartisan manner for the public's benefit.
Felon Voting ProCon.org features over 80 diverse sources from former U.S. Senator George Allen and MSNBC newsman Tucker Carlson on the CON felon voting side to former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and the American Civil Liberties Union on the PRO felon voting side.
The 150 pro, con, and general reference statements focus around the core question: Should felons be allowed to vote? Some featured content areas include:
- 1-Minute Overview (including why this topic was selected)
- Top 10 Pros and Cons on Felon Voting
- State-by-State Laws on Felon Voting
- Breakdown of Disenfranchised Populations by Type of Crime Committed
- Comparison of U.S. Felon Voting Laws to 44 Other Countries
Managing Editor, Kamy Akhavan, commented on the project:
"Tackling the issue of felon voting was not an easy decision for us. The fact that few people were talking about it made it appealing and unappealing at the same time. We felt the issue was so important considering its impact in prior elections and possibly in the 2008 election. If we didn't cover the issue, then no one else would. We decided to build the Felon Voting ProCon.org website so people would have an easy way to figure out the basic pros and cons of the felon voting issue. Our website should help inform legislators, educators, lawyers, students, and the general public so they can feel good about making informed decisions on the felon voting issue."
For more information visit Felon Voting ProCon.org or contact the Managing Editor.
About ProCon.org:
ProCon.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation whose purpose is to inform the public about controversial issues using facts, news, and hundreds of diverse opinions in a pro-con format.
Prior pro-con topics include medical marijuana, the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, electronic voting machines, euthanasia, and others.
Upcoming pro-con topics in 2007 (and their launch dates) include prostitution (May 15), milk (Sept. 17), 2008 presidential candidates (Oct. 22), and immigration (Nov. 1).
For more information visit: About ProCon.org
Contact:
Kamy Akhavan (kamy @ procon.org)
Managing Editor, ProCon.org
www.procon.org
233 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Tel: 310-587-1407
Fax: 310-393-2471
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