Last updated on: 4/16/2008 | Author: ProCon.org

Alexander Keyssar, PhD Biography

Title:
Matthew W. Stirling, Jr., Professor of History and Social Policy at Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Position:
Pro to the question "Should Felons Who Have Completed Their Sentence (Incarceration, Probation, and Parole) Be Allowed to Vote?"
Reasoning:

“The widespread support for such [felon disenfranchisement] laws is noteworthy because, as recent legal analysts have pointed out, there has never been a particularly persuasive or coherent reason for disenfranchising felons and ex-felons.”

The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States, 2000
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
    Experts
Individuals with PhD's, JD's, or equivalent advanced degrees in fields relevant to felon voting issues. Also top-level government officials (such as foreign leaders, US presidents, Founding Fathers, Supreme Court Justices, members of legislative bodies, cabinet members, military leaders, etc.) with positions relevant to felon voting issues.
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Current, Matthew W. Stirling, Jr., Professor of History and Social Policy Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
  • Former Professor of History and Public Policy, Duke University
  • Book The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States was awarded Best Book in U.S. History by both the American Historical Association and the Historical Society; was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Award, 2000
  • New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Out of Work: The First Century of Unemployment in Massachusetts, 1986
Education:
  • PhD, Harvard University
Other:
  • None found