Topic A Discussion

 


Hey delegates! 


I was reading a little bit more about Topic A: Protecting American Democracy and stumbled upon this article I think you would find interesting: How Mass Incarceration Shapes Our Elections. Feel free to give it a quick read, but to aid in your research I’ll also summarize its main points below.


  • An estimated 4.6 million Americans were ineligible to vote in 2022 due to laws banning people with felony convictions from voting.

  • Many who wrongfully vote are unaware that they are breaking the law, though convictions for voter fraud require criminal intent.

  • The demographics of those incarcerated indicate that voter laws “narrow our electorate by barring people from exercising fundamental rights and are used to…marginalize communities of color.”

  • By refusing to count incarcerated people in their homes, the census compounds this vicious cycle by marginalizing communities most harmed by mass incarceration.

  • “Gerrymandering disincentives prison closures. When rural communities derive their economic and political power from mass incarceration, they are denied the opportunity to grow in ways independent of it.”

  • People who are accused of crimes and held in jail are legally allowed to vote, but the Department of Corrections often ignores this legal mandate. This disenfranchisement affects people who may not be charged with a crime, further increasing the marginalization of minority communities that fall victim to over-policing.


This article takes an unorthodox approach to how American Democracy is defined and creates another avenue through which to increase voter participation. It may not be enough to return our voter integrity to the “status quo”— instead, we should look further at dismantling the structural barriers that have survived previous generations.


Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this article!


Sanjay Rangavajjhala

Vice Chair, US Senate

BMUN LXXI

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