i want to clarify what i was saying about this.

suppose you're in jail over a triviality, either to fund the prison-industrial complex or just because you're black. what good is a vote to you? it's farcical. and, how does one react to a system that will take away all of your rights, except the right to vote? the argument is that voting is fundamental, inherent to the individual; i might rather argue that allowing prisoners to vote from inside a cell actually devalues voting. you wouldn't even have to be free to vote, anymore. the cynic in me may argue that it's an accurate accounting of the value of a vote, but i think we ought to strive for a more meaningful concept of democracy than that. voting is something that should flow from some concept of privilege in society, even if that privilege is something as basic as near-universal citizenship status, and not merely from birthright.

so, i don't support the measure, for reasons i've attempted to make clear.

that said, i have no interest in the kind of childish gotcha-reaction being pushed by the christian right, that wants to turn the issue into some kind of "moral" quandary that is about listening to "bad" people talk, or something. if the debate is to be reduced to whether the restriction of voting rights is an acceptable "punishment" for any sort of crime, then i'm going to cut you off before you start because i fully reject the premise underlying retribution, as a means of so-called justice. retribution is a religious idea that has no place in a scientific society.

as jurisdiction is a human construct, there are ways to get around the jurisdictional issues. sure.

i don't like the idea of voting via absentee ballot from jail, as these people are in no way a part of the communities that they're trying to vote in. that might seem trivial if you're in a big city, like new york or los angeles. but, the reality is that the inmate vote, as large as it is in america, has the legitimate potential to swing smaller races for city offices, or things like school board races where the total votes cast may only be in the dozens. if the intent is to strengthen democracy, i might again question if it's thought through well - i don't think that the premise of a mayoral race in small town america being swung from the county jail is something that would strengthen democracy in america, but rather something that would devalue it.

a better idea may be to consider the inmate population in the context of redistricting. if a county jail has a large enough of a population to justify a seat in the state or federal legislature, maybe you just give them one. this would prevent them from voting in their communities while they are displaced from them - which i will reiterate that i don't like on grounds that it would put the administration of democracy into disrepute, rather than on appeals to retribution.

but, however you fix the jurisdictional problems, you're still left with the absurdity of voting from a jail cell, and the devaluation of democracy that is attached to the premise of doing so - as well as the futility of the process, as very little that occurs outside of the jail will have much of an effect on what occurs within it.

if somebody wanted to stand up for the rights of prisoners, they would be better off supporting their rights to unionize, to strike and to generally act in protest at their own conditions, and this is something i would have more support for. prisoners will not have their living conditions bettered by pressure from the outside, they will need to organize and fight to win their own struggle, on their own terms. the ability to take part in a democracy from inside the institution would be immeasurably more valuable than the ability to take part in a democracy that exists outside of it.

of course, allowing prisoners to vote from prison would also be an open door for voter fraud. you'd have all kinds of dead people voting in no time, as well as people voting from prison that have already been released. and, it would be the democrats that would do this, not the republicans.

if i was an american, i wouldn't consider this a ballot issue. if this is your best reason to vote against bernie sanders, you maybe shouldn't vote at all. but, i think he's wrong on this point and should revisit it.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/440736-graham-says-senate-should-vote-on-sanders-prisoner-voting-idea