Bernie Sanders wants all felons—including the Boston Marathon bomber and sex criminals—to be able to vote, saying that “even terrible people” should have their say on the future of the United States. Sanders made the remarks Monday night in response to a question at a CNN town-hall event in New Hampshire. A student asked if he would support enfranchising “the Boston Marathon bomber, a convicted terrorist and murderer” or if he thought people convicted of sexual assault “should have the opportunity to vote for politicians who have a direct impact on women’s rights?” Sanders responded: “I think the right to vote is inherent to our democracy. Yes, even for terrible people, because once you start chipping away, and you say ‘Well that guy committed a terrible crime, not going to let him vote’ or ‘That person did that, not going to let that person vote,’ you’re running down a slippery slope.” He added that being imprisoned “should not take away their inherent American right to participate in our democracy.”
