People convicted of a crime should not lose their right to vote. The right to vote is a birthright for citizens born in this country. This right is taken for granted by many and exercised by too few. As the United States prepares for the 57th presidential election, more than five million citizens will be denied the right to participate in the electoral process. Why should such a large number of people be denied a constitutional right? They were excluded from voting because they were convicted of a crime. A felony is generally considered any crime that could result in more than one year in prison. But states can often have different views on what is considered a crime or misdemeanor. Such an important right should not be subject to the whims of state legislatures. Laws that prohibit felons from voting are a punishment above and beyond that meted out by the justice system. There is no uniformity in the laws that prohibit convicted felons from voting. Laws vary greatly from state to state. Nearly all states bar incarcerated felons from voting. The only exceptions are Maine and Vermont. While some states restore the right to vote once a person is released from prison; more than thirty continue to disenfranchise these individuals. Thirty-one states prohibit voting for those on probation for felony crimes. Thirty-six states prohibit those on felony probation from voting in elections. Many of these states will restore the voting rights of convicted felons upon completion of probation and/or parole. But some of our fellow citizens will have their right to vote permanently revoked. The nation as a whole should be concerned about... half of the paper ......ple University Press.Jones, Ashby (2010). Should felons lose their right to vote? Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2010/03/22/should-felons-lose-the-right-to-vote/.Karlan, Pamela (2004). “Convictions and Doubts: Punishment, Representation, and the Debate over Criminal Disenfranchisement,” Stanford Law Review, Vol. 56, no. 5, Krajick, Kevin (2004). The Washington Post. Why can't ex-felons vote? Lewis, Gregory (2004). Study criticizes felon voting laws, Democrats hurt blacks, analysis says. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.New York Times Editorial Board (2004). Criminals and the right to vote. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/11/opinion/felons-and-the-right-to-Shakir, Faiz (2012). On MLK Day, Santorum criticizes Romney for undermining voting rights. Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/01/16/404903/on-mlk-day-