1. Voting is a privilege:
Jeff Milchen, Founder and Executive Director of ReclaimDemocracy.org, stated in his Aug. 8, 2005 online article "Beyond the Voting Rights Act: Why We Need a Constitutional Right to Vote," that: "In its 2000 ruling, Alexander v Mineta, the [U.S. Supreme] Court ... affirmed the district court's interpretation that our Constitution 'does not protect the right of all citizens to vote, but rather the right of all qualified citizens to vote.' And it's state legislatures that wield the power to decide who is 'qualified.'
As a result, voting is not a right, but a privilege granted or withheld at the discretion of local and state governments.... the U.S. is one of just 11 nations among 120 or so constitutional democracies that fail to guarantee a right to vote in their constitutions."
Ambra Nykol, freelance columnist, stated in her Oct. 5, 2004 article "Voting is a Privilege," posted to her website, that:"[I]n this society, voting is a privilege. Voting has always been a privilege, and in my most humble opinion, it should forever remain as such....
I'm not sure when this 'it's my right' ideology crept in, but the United States has never treated voting as a 'personal right.'... even in the early days of America, when voting was a privilege only afforded to landowners, there was a direct correlation between responsibility and privilege."
2. Felon disenfranchisement laws do not violate the social contract:
Shepherd v. Trevino, heard by the U.S. Fifth Circuit court, stated in its 1978 opinion:"[Felons] have breached the social contract and, like insane persons, have raised questions about their ability to vote responsibly."
George Brooks, JD, an attorney and writer, stated in his 2005 article "Felon Disenfranchisement: Law, History, Policy, and Politics," published in the Fordham Urban Law Journal:"As a policy justification, Lockes' social contract theory has withstood the test of time; it served a rationale for the enactment of felon...