Should felons be allowed to vote while they're still incarcerated? Some jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, are considering it, while the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates remain divided on the issue. A spokesperson for 2020 contender Beto O'Rourke, a former Texas congressman, told CBS News that O'Rourke believes the country should "rethink" granting the right to vote "for at least some non-violent offenders" currently serving sentences, a position he has previously articulated. At an April forum in Texas, O'Rourke noted that the U.S. prison population "disproportionately" contains people of color who are behind bars for nonviolent drug offenses. He said he supported restoring voting rights to "nonviolent offenders" but voiced concerns with permitting "violent criminals" the right to vote. Violent offenders, he said, must face "a consequence in civil life." Among the other 2020 contenders, Sen. Bernie Sanders remains one of the most vocal proponents of felon enfranchisement — even for those convicted of violent crimes. "If you commit a terrible crime, you're going to pay the price, but that does not mean that your right to participate in our democracy is taken away from you," Sanders said at an April rally in Fort Worth, Texas. Other candidates have not gone as far to endorse restoring voting rights for incarcerated felons. Candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg have said that the right to the vote should be restored after Americans are released from prison. But neither candidate has openly endorsed allowing those currently serving time to vote. "Right now, I think the fight should be over felony re-enfranchisement," Warren said at an April forum in Iowa. "Once someone pays their debt to society, they're out there expected to pay taxes, they're expected to abide by the law, they're expected to support themselves and their families." "While they're incarcerated, I think it's a different question and I think that's something we can have more conversation about," she added. California Sen. Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, echoed those remarks, saying that she'll talk to experts and think further about the "complex" issue before weighing in. In an interview Thursday with BET, Sen. Cory Booker said that he believed that people in prison for "serious felonies" should "surrender their right to vote." This doesn't extend to all prisoners, though. In May, Booker told Huffpost that those serving time for nonviolent drug offenses should be allowed to vote while they're in prison. Booker doesn't believe these offenders should be in prison "in the first place," he said on BET. Candidates are weighing in just as state and local legislators are considering their own positions on the polarizing issue. The Council of the District of Columbia's pushed forward last week on a bill that would grant voting rights to incarcerated felons. If it passes, it could impact thousands of District res
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