As the words left his mouth, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) could see the shape of the attack ads that could be used against him. A questioner at a CNN town hall Monday asked the presidential candidate whether he believes that incarcerated felons — the Boston Marathon bomber, for instance, or sex offenders — should be allowed to vote while they are serving their sentences, the Washington Post reports. His answer: an unapologetic “yes.” In a presidential campaign in which Democratic candidates embrace systemic changes to criminal justice — and as many Republicans also support such policies — Sanders’s comments stand out.
Support has been growing nationally for re-enfranchising felons after they are released, and several states have taken steps in that direction. The notion of voting rights for those still in prison has already opened up Sanders and other Democratic candidates to attacks from Republicans painting them as soft on criminals. GOP operatives did not wait to launch such attacks. “Bernie Sanders, the current front-runner for the Democratic nomination, just made it clear he wants convicted terrorists, sex offenders, and murderers to vote from prison,” the Republican National Committee said in an email to supporters. Sanders’ comments, and the reaction to them, reflect Democratic candidates’ tricky path ahead. They’re striving to ignite support among a liberal Democratic primary electorate, while knowing that in a general election they’ll face a far more conservative population. Sanders wants to persuade Democrats he can defeat President Trump, but Monday’s remarks could give pause to some voters he would need to win over. Many people seem uncomfortable with the notion of allowing felons to vote before they have completed their sentences. Maine and Sanders’ state of Vermont are the only two states that allow inmates to vote while they’re incarcerated.