Presidential hopeful, Senator Bernie Sanders wants to allow people who are currently incarcerated to vote. He claims that, “If we are serious about calling ourselves a democracy, we must firmly establish that the right to vote is an inalienable and universal principle that applies to all American citizens 18 years and older.” This policy choice of his is very unpopular with the American people. According to an INSIDER poll, 75% of Americans do not approve of allowing prisoners to vote.

Sanders doesn’t regret his position and reaffirmed that he believes that all prisoners in the United States have a right to vote. While this could help distinguish Senator Sanders from the crowded pool of presidential hopefuls, being light on crime never helped a politician before.

When asked “Do you think people who are convicted of a crime should keep their right to vote while incarcerated?”

• 22% of Democratic primary voters said “I think all incarcerated people should keep their right to vote”
• 25% said “I think that incarcerated people convicted of a non-violent offense should keep their right to vote, but not those convicted of violent offenses”
• 32% said “I don’t think incarcerated people should keep their right to vote, but upon release they should have their right restored”
• 9% said “I think people convicted of violent felonies should lose their right to vote permanently”
• 6% said “I think people convicted of any felony should lose their right to vote permanently”

Source