Leading up to the elections there has been a lot of discussion about who gets to vote and who doesn't--see "Let felons who have served their time vote" on Oct. 3. I agree with the author of this letter because there are so many things nowadays that you can go to jail for.

The person who has committed a felony may have forgotten or not have been aware that what they were doing is considered a felony. This year, school boards have announced that students over age 14 can be tried as adults. Yes, students may fight and do other stupid stuff that courts can try as a felony, but that doesn't mean that we should take their voting rights away.

Students in school are maturing, some more slowly than others, but they are maturing. If they do something stupid now, before they are 18, then they will have made the stupid mistakes that students always seem to make.

I am sure many people have committed some type of felony in their lives. Even if in earlier days the stuff people did might not have been considered a felony, it probably is today.

In conclusion: We need to allow people who have committed a felony to vote.

Brooke Paulhamus

Mineral