Politics is not open to everyone. Children are not allowed to vote, either are non citizens and the mentally incompetent. The bigger question is should we allow felons to vote AFTER they get out of prison. I think you will be very hard pressed to find people who think prisoners serving time should vote before they are released.

Drug offenders are not criminals. Until this understood. Yes. the only criminals who should have felonies and lose their rights are violent people.

You are correct in your prediction that most people would, quite rightly, argue that the convicted criminal should automatically lose all liberties and rights when they commit crimes against society. Once they have paid for their crime they could apply for inclusion back onto the electorate register. A panel of judges made up from a cross section of society could decide whether or not to grant permission for the applicant to participate in the democratic process. Many factors would influence the decision including the nature of the crime and the frequency of the ex-convict's offences. For instance, a career sex offender or violent criminal should never be allowed to take part in the process of electing a government.

yes, if they are eligible. Meaning age appropriate. They are still citizens. The reason that children are not aloud to vote is because they are not mature enough. Just because someone is held as prisoner does not mean that they can't support the vote of one.

Absolutely. If you are a US citizen you should be allowed to vote. Period. End of story. If i ever got put in prison for a crime that was up for debate, for instance pot legalization, i would want a say. If im in jail for possessing weed and theres a guy running to legalize it then i should get to vote for him.