In the United States, convicted felons are allowed to run for president.
But allowing a convicted felon to run for president of the United States is an absurd reality and should change.
In states like California, before convicted felons can vote they must complete probation. In states like Mississippi, voting rights for felons can be restored for certain nonviolent crimes.
In the U.S., felons cannot become teachers, Uber or Lyft drivers, FBI officers, bankers, or members of the military.
Convicted felons are barred from these positions because people should have trust in those working these jobs, much like citizens much have trust in their president.
While many restrictions exist for convicted felons, they are still allowed to run for president.
Any natural-born U.S. citizen residing in America for at least 14 years and is at least 35 years old can run for president, regardless of criminal history, according to the U.S. Constitution.
As the head of the executive branch, the president’s primary responsibility is to ensure that federal laws are enforced. Yet to be a convicted felon, it would mean that the person did not abide by the law themselves.
In the current election, a presidential candidate was convicted in May for 34 felony counts. Donald Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records concerning a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. The concealed payments were determined unlawful in a New York court.
A situation like this shows the flawed system to run for president. If a president is unable to act in accordance with the law, how could he be trusted to carry out the same law he ignored?
Allowing convicted felons to run for president undermines the authority of the law. The public sees an individual who violated laws while running to hold the highest office of our country, essentially telling them that crimes will go unpunished.
Allowing convicted felons to run for president leads to a less trustworthy government and distorts public perception of justice.
Criminal records should be considered an important part of determining presidential eligibility, and convicted felons should be deemed ineligible.