Most states do not allow felons voting rights, therefore keeping felons from holding public office.
But get this, according to Fact Check.org, A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center, it is possible for a felon to serve in the U.S. Congress – but the House and Senate can vote to expel any member that colleagues deem unfit or unqualified to serve.
The Constitution requires that members of the House and Senate fulfill three requirements:
• All members of the House must be at least 25 years old, and members of the Senate must be at least 30 years old.
• Members of the House must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and members of the Senate must have been a U.S. citizen for at least nine years.
• They have to be an “inhabitant” of the state “when elected.”
As a result, according to the Congressional Research Service, committing a crime cannot constitutionally disqualify someone from serving in Congress, and the state has no say in determining whether or not someone is qualified to serve in the House or Senate:
Now take a look at what the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania says about felons running for a political office: Article II, Section 7 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides that any person convicted of embezzlement of public money, bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime is ineligible to hold any office of trust or profit in the Commonwealth.
What else do convicted felons lose?
Every single state has the ability to decide which rights convicted felons lose completely and which of these rights can be regained once a person is released from prison. Therefore, the rights that convicted felons lose vary from state to state.
According to federal law, if you were convicted of a felony, you cannot buy or own any form of firearm.
If as a convicted felon, if you own a valid passport, you are allowed to travel outside. However, be forewarned that from country to country, laws are different. Also, aside from owning a valid passport, felons on probation are required to seek permission from their probation officers anytime they want to travel.
**********
Thank you for reading Thera Martin’s article on scoopnewsusa.com. For more on “By Law, What Rights do Convicted Felons Lose”, please subscribe to SCOOP USA Media. Print subscriptions are $75 and online subscriptions (Print, Digital, and VIZION) are $90. (52 weeks / 1 year).
