i actually disagree with this, and i've stated why: voting is a function of citizenship, so the suspension of citizenship that occurs during incarceration should imply the suspension of the rights that flow from it, including but not limited to the right to vote.

there should be a ten thousand foot firewall that separates inmates from the public - they should not be affecting decisions that are made in the communities that they've been removed from in any way at all, whatsoever. but, they should also be reintegrated quickly upon release, if they are released.

however, it's a different issue in canada because the incarceration rate is that much lower. we have 20,000 prisoners out of a population of 30 million. america has 2 million prisoners in a population of 300 million. so, it's a factor of ten, once adjusted for proportion.

again: i'm not concerned about punishing people. i don't believe in punishment. my concern is that it is fundamentally undemocratic to allow people in a jail cell to swing elections in communities that they don't even live in. democracy is a living, breathing thing that you participate in in a tactile way. you meet people, you have debates and discussions face to face, you build coalitions, etc. you can't do that from behind bars, so you're devaluing the process by reducing it to a ballot.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-prisoners-voting-1.3202010