All Veterans Should Be Permitted to Vote

WHEREAS, currently, 32 states prohibit felons from voting while they are on parole and 28 states exclude felony probationers, even if no prison time is involved; and

WHEREAS, a disproportionate number of veterans returning from war have been incarcerated as compared to veterans who served in time of peace; and

WHEREAS, voter disenfranchisement is an offense to democratic ideals; and

WHEREAS, disenfranchisement of those who jeopardize their lives in defense of democratic ideals is an offense to the conscience of our nation; and

WHEREAS, denying veterans who commit a crime and who serve their sentences the right to vote amounts to denial of the possibility of redemption.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP support legislation that would allow veterans who have been convicted of felonies to register to vote after being released from incarceration.